ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Among the hottest Buffalo Bills questions from a fantasy football perspective are about the Bills' backfield in the wake of Fred Jackson's release: Who is the No. 2 running back and who will take goal-line and short yardage questions?

I asked Bills running backs coach Anthony Lynn both of those questions and others on Tuesday:

Q: What factors led to Jackson being released?

Lynn: "It's not any one particular thing that led to that decision. It's the NFL. And Fred's up in age. We have some younger backs that are coming up. I think back to when Joe Montana got cut. When Jerry Rice got cut. Ronnie Lott, and Steve Atwater when I was in Denver. Great players. They get released. So it happens."

Q. What is LeSean McCoy's availability for Week 1, and what does Jackson's release mean for his workload this season?

Lynn: "All along we brought him in to put the bulk of the workload on him. And he has some good help in Boobie Dixon and Bryce Brown and Karlos Williams. So those guys will all play a complementary role but Shady will get the bulk of it. And far as his availability, I'll hope he'll be ready to roll. I can't say that for that sure, but if he's ready to roll, we're gonna use him and we got a plan for him. And if he's not, we're not gonna blink."

Q: How much was Williams ascending in training camp before his unspecified medical procedure?

Lynn: "Karlos was really ascending and he had kind of reached that No. 2 spot, in my opinion, at one point in training camp. And I just ... it was a good competition, because Boobie was out [with a calf injury], so it was basically between Karlos and Bryce. And I thought Karlos kind of took control of that second spot for a little while there. But I've been very pleased with his growth and his development. The guy only played running back [at Florida State] for a year-and-a-half, and he came in here and he really listened and took the coaching. He's like a sponge. And I guess what I like about him is that he didn't have any bad habits to break, so he just does what you tell him to do. And you kind of like that in a player, you know?

Q: So ideally do you see Karlos sliding back into that No. 2 role, or Boobie continuing to push for it?

Lynn: "Absolutely. Boobie unfortunately didn't have a training camp. And so he didn't get to compete with those guys. I have a pretty good idea of what Boobie can do and what he can bring to the table, but it was unfortunate what happened to Karlos with the injury -- not necessarily the injury, but the medical condition -- so yeah, I'm gonna throw him right back in there where he left off."

Q: If there's a goal line or short yardage play, is Karlos the guy who gets the nod?

Lynn: "I don't know. I don't know because Shady's done a good job in goal-line and short yardage. Sometimes it's not the biggest, most powerful back. It's the back with the best instincts and feel. Marcus Allen was a 205-pound runner but was the best goal-line runner I've seen in my time. So he has a knack to get through the hole and get skinny in the hole. So I'm not saying that I'm gonna take [McCoy] out at the goal line, but Karlos can definitely get the job done."

Q: Where does Brown fit into the picture?

Lynn: "He's got to carve out a role for himself on special teams. Just quality depth. You can't have enough of that. And if you're gonna run the football, especially when you play in the Northeast, you better be able to run the football. You got to have that depth."