Interesting listen on Sirius/XM Fantasy Life...Dwain McFarland segment, talked about what makes Hines special.
I respect Dwain McFarland as much or more than any elite FF Analyst I regularly read.
There are 2 types of pass catching RB's, the typical kind, say 90% of them, run primarily check downs, dump offs, outlets, screens, etc. Singletary can catch the football, he's not a liability at that skill, it's just that he's one of these typical guys
The other type, those who carry the 'elite' label, are capable of being actual downfield threats, and are capable of being a qb's primary read in a pattern progression, having pass plays specifically designed to go to them. He's got some kind of a metric, '8 aught'? ... I didn't hear that clearly and didn't hear it explained, but apparently it's ridiculous.
ETA: ***now that I think of it, maybe he was saying 'ADoT (Average Depth of Target)'? That would make sense. '8 aught'...
...forgive me, I was listening while driving.
McFarland was saying that qb's in general, on average, throw to their primary read on a play, around 70% of the time.
He said that much as everyone loves Gabe Davis, neither he, nor any of the other Buffalo pass catchers, earn or DEMAND targets the way Diggs does. Not one of them is stepping up and convincing the coaches or Josh Allen to include them more in the passing offense than they already are. Diggs is Allen's primary read on pretty much every pass play. Apparently they were getting tired of that. Hines is a legit threat that earns/demands targets in an area of the field that Diggs does not. He expects Hines to quickly become the Bills primary slot receiver, and be heavily involved in the passing game right away, at the expense of the other pass-catchers, not necessarily Singletary, who will remain the team's primary RB.
McFarland guessed that at times, when Allen drops back to throw, he might see Singletary in a check down/dump off, what have you, area, and just think to himself "I can throw it to that guy for whatever...or I can just run for 25 yards." ... and much of the time, he does exactly that.
Hines is definitely not as elite a rusher as he is a receiver. I think there was a perception he was capable of filling a 3-down role if something happened to JT, but when that plan had to be implemented, we wound up seeing Lindsay employed, and the ascent of Deon Jackson. Singletary is a better rusher than Hines. Allen vultures rushing attempts/yards from Singletary, but Singletary is a good RB, and does a pretty good job of getting as much or more out of every play where his number is called. The Bills are happy with the job he's doing in his role. Hines might get a carry here and there to keep the D honest, much as Singletary will get a catch or two, for the same reason.
I think McFarland compared the Hines acquisition to when the Bills brought in Emmanuel Sanders.
I think we're going to see a lot of Singletary and Hines on the field at the same time, with Hines either lining up, or motioning into, the slot. If he pans out like the Bills expect him to, Singletary won't catch as many balls, but neither will the other pass catchers.