Through seven games, the Bills rank last in the NFL in receptions (45) and receiving yards (594) by wide receivers. They rank second to last in yards produced after the catch (141) and receiving first downs (35). Tight end Charles Clay — who has not played since Oct. 8 due to a knee injury — leads Buffalo in receiving yards with 258 and is second in receiving touchdowns with two. Running back LeSean McCoy is second on the team with 242 receiving yards in 2017. The lack of production from wideouts Jordan Matthews, Andre Holmes, Deonte Thompson and rookie Zay Jones has also contributed to the 10th-worst collection of pass-catching talent this season per PFF.

The addition of Benjamin gives the Bills a big, deep target threat for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, one that will help Buffalo end a 17-year playoff drought and appear in the postseason for the first time since the 1999 season.

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Not only is Benjamin a big improvement over the receivers on the Bills roster, he will also give Taylor someone to throw to down field. On Taylor’s 31 throws of 20 yards or more, the Bills have caught 11 (35.5 percent), with just one ending up in the end zone. Benjamin not only will haul in more of those deep passes, his presence will help stretch a defense so that it can’t key in on Taylor, who is as much a threat to run as he is to pass on any given play.

It remains to be seen how much of a red-zone presence Benjamin, at 6-foot-5 inches tall, will be for Buffalo — he caught just one of six targets inside the 20-yard line this season, with none making it to the end zone. Holmes, the tallest receiver on the roster prior to Benjamin’s arrival at 6-foot-4, has caught all five of the Taylor’s red-zone throws, three for touchdowns, this season.

Overall, the acquisition of Benjamin comes at the perfect time. The Bills will square off against the easiest remaining schedule in terms of defenses faced for the remainder of the season, per Sharp Football Stats, allowing Taylor and Benjamin to develop chemistry against three of the worst pass coverage teams — the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts — over the final five weeks of the season.

Buffalo has already tied its best start (5-2) since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, and a win Thursday night over the New York Jets would give the Bills their best record through eight games since 1993, a year in which they made a fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance. With Benjamin on the roster for the schedule ahead, they could become a legitimate threat in the AFC.

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It’s a curious move for the 5-3 Panthers, though, who find themselves as the second wild-card team in the current playoff picture and a half-game behind the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South. Benjamin has 32 catches for two touchdowns and a team-high 475 yards through eight games this season. Since his rookie season in 2014, no wide receiver on the team has been targeted more often by quarterback Cam Newton (279 targets), has more receiving yards (2,088) or more touchdowns (16) — and that’s with Benjamin missing the entire 2015 campaign with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

WR (2014 to 2017) Targets Catches Receiving yards Receiving TD Kelvin Benjamin 279 145 2,088 16 Devin Funchess 175 84 1,136 12 Russell Shepard 17 11 133 1 Curtis Samuel 11 7 47 0

The Panthers were reportedly willing to part with Benjamin because he filled a similar role to Devin Funchess, who now moves into the team’s role as the No. 1 receiver. But Funchess produced fewer yards per route run than Benjamin this season and was rated significantly lower overall by the game charters at Pro Football Focus.

Name Targets Receiving yards Snaps in route Yards per route run PFF grade (out of 75 receivers) Kelvin Benjamin 51 475 235 2.02 2.4 (22nd) Devin Funchess 56 357 270 1.32 -3.9 (55th)

The move also hurts Carolina’s vertical game. Benjamin caught five of seven passes this year traveling 20 or more yards in the air for 157 yards and two touchdowns; Funchess is one-for-nine with a 21-yard catch in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints. No other wideout on the team has made a catch on these deep throws by Newton.

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Carolina will also look to get more passes to Russell Shepard, rookie Curtis Samuel and Kaelin Clay, three wideouts who can potentially provide more speed on the field. However, all are unproven in terms of NFL production. Only when tight end Greg Olsen returns will the Panthers have any bona fide above-average receiving options to utilize.