Bills Down Two D Starters, and Maybe Another

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Thu, Sep 18 2025 2:30 AM UTC

The Bills won't have LB Matt Milano (pectoral) or DT Ed Oliver (ankle) for Thursday night's game against the Dolphins. Both have been ruled out. CB Taron Johnson (quad) is questionable after limited practices all week. Johnson sounds like he'll be ready to play.

What They're Saying

Johnson, on sitting out last week: "Just wanted to be smart with the little minor problem that I was having, but I'm good now. I'm ready to go."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

DT Deone Walker started in Oliver's spot last week but played less than 50% of the snaps and has tallied just 2 tackles (with basically no other stats) through two games.

Cam Lewis would be the slot fill-in if Johnson can't go, but it sounds like he should be ready.

LB Dorian Williams gained playing time when Milano left last week and will be interesting. He managed just 1 tackle in that contest but loaded up in that category when Milano missed time in 2024.

Williams averaged 9.6 tackles per game in the 12 contests in which he played at least 50% of the snaps over the past two years. He could be a lineup option for deeper IDP outfits.

The Milano to Williams swap hurts Buffalo's mid-range coverage, though -- good news for De'Von Achane.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.