Ty Johnson

The Bills looked like they knew they were getting into a shootout from the start, using Johnson in pass-first sets out of the backfield on the first drive. Johnson made two huge catches on that first drive, including a sliding third-down conversion that put the Bills' on the Lions' 11-yard-line. Johnson later hauled in a huge 31-yard completion from Josh Allen and was a mismatch against the Lions' linebackers all afternoon. The 27-year-old is a dynamic threat out of the backfield, but he's the clear third option in the running game, which means next week against the Patriots might not be the best gamescript for him.

The box score may show you more impressive stats from Ty Johnson, but Davis remains the clear back-up to James Cook when it comes to running back duties. Johnson is used almost exclusively in the passing game, and this shootout against the Lions set up better for Johnson than Davis. Davis still looks good on his touches, running hard and making defenders miss. He should be in for better gamescripts with the Jets and Patriots (twice) on tap to end the season.

Cook simply got gamescripted out of this one. The Bills tried to establish the run early, but the Rams' defensive line bottled up Cook, and then the Bills were down two scores in the blink of an eye. With Buffalo throwing the ball in the second half, there was a lot more Ty Johnson on the field, which led to the subpar effort from Cook. We wouldn't read too much into the poor game; however, it is noteworthy that Johnson took so many snaps with the Bills playing from behind. That will sap some of Cook's value if the Bills get into negative gamescripts again.

The Bills were in catch-up mode early on in this game which meant more work for Johnson than we're used to seeing. The 27-year-old answered the bell when called on, including a beautiful 41-yard touchdown reception on a misdirection screen in the second quarter. With the Bills figuring to be in another shootout next week against the Lions, it's possible that Johnson could be a factor in the gameplan again; however, he remains hard to roster outside of the deepest formats.

Hollins gets a lot of attention for his behavior off the field, but his play on the field is worth recognizing as well. The veteran freed up Ty Johnson for a touchdown with a beautiful block and then scored a touchdown of his own with a tremendous 21-yard catch in traffic in the fourth quarter. It was Hollins' best game of the season, but with Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid likely returning next week, it's hard to see the good times continuing to roll.