Zack Moss joined a run heavy Buffalo Bills offense with the 86th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. A heralded PAC-12 performer and 2019 offensive player of the year in the conference, Moss was set to join a backfield with 2019 darling Devin Singletary.
Some analysts called Moss the steal of the draft, some never bought into the back who ran a disappointing 4.65 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine. So which was it? Was a Moss a steal? Or was Moss a disappointment?
2020 SEASON RECAP
Moss was heralded as the thunder to Singletary’s lightning. The smash to Singletary’s flash. A key piece to the Buffalo rushing attack that had been so potent the last two seasons with QB Josh Allen at the helm.
And then 2020 happened. The Bills found themselves as a passing team. Allen progressed in a way that was almost unheard of for a passer in his third season and transformed the Buffalo offense into one of the most potent passing attacks in the NFL. The addition of veteran WR Stefon Diggs was a massive one, and the rushing attack took a hit.
And so did Moss. Moss scored a TD in week 1 and found some usage as the goal line back for Buffalo (although this role was primarily played by Allen). Moss only cracked double digit points in PPR in five of his 13 contests and was severely limited in the passing game. In fact, Moss only eclipsed double digit PPR points in one game that he did not score a TD in. Moss did average over four yards per attempt which is encouraging.
Moss had a huge week 8 performance against the New England Patriots where he saw 14 attempts and managed 81 yards rushing and finding pay dirt twice. This would be the pinnacle of his 2020 season. Limited receiving ability and film that screamed “plodding power back” forced this third-round pick into fantasy irrelevance. And to think… some analysts had Moss over Cam Akers in their 2020 RB rankings…
Mossed missed three games with injury in 2020 and appears locked into a split role with Singletary. It does not appear that either Singletary or Moss are the preferred rusher to Allen, who was third on the Bills in carries with 102 attempts.
| Attempts | Yards | Rush TDs | YPC | Targets | Rec | Yards | Rec TDs | PPR Total | RB Finish |
| 112 | 481 | 4 | 4.29 | 18 | 14 | 95 | 1 | 101.6 | RB45 |
THE WAY FORWARD
If you drafted Moss over Cam Akers in 2020, I bet you are feeling pretty silly at this point. Moss appears to be nothing more than a complimentary back to Singletary and Allen. The upside of Moss is in his goal line usage, and this may propel him to see more fantasy points than his yardage totals would imply. Do not be fooled. Zack Moss is fantasy fool’s gold. If Moss’ TD numbers hit double digits next season I would not be shocked, but his overall value should not make him a startable asset in fantasy football. Steer clear of Moss in 2021. If you have shares of Moss, I would recommend selling as soon as he has a multi-TD game in 2021.
RANKINGS | DYNASTY | ROOKIES
