Bills Announce Joshua Palmer Update Before Vikings Game

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5)Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Bills Announce Joshua Palmer Update Before Vikings Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nishant Gupta | Last updated Nov 7, 2026 6:59 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills will head to Minnesota without one of Josh Allen’s outside targets. Head coach Joe Brady ruled out wide receiver Joshua Palmer with a hamstring injury for Monday night’s game against the Vikings, according to the Bills’ official site.

There was a better note attached. Palmer didn’t practice all week after leaving the 36-10 rout of the Ravens, but Brady said the receiver is not a candidate for injured reserve at this point. It’s the second game Palmer will miss this season after a shoulder injury kept him out against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5.

What Palmer’s absence means for Buffalo

Sep 17, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) makes a catch against Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (23) during the second half at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Palmer’s role has been narrow. Line up his season next to Keon Coleman’s and the difference is clear: Palmer has four catches on 12 targets, a 33% catch rate, but those grabs have gone for 117 yards and two touchdowns at 29.3 yards apiece. Coleman has caught 20 of 27 targets, about 74%, for 287 yards and three scores at 14.3 yards per catch.

That makes Palmer the deep shot more than a volume option, and the Bills have plenty of volume elsewhere. Dalton Kincaid leads the team with 401 receiving yards, Khalil Shakir has 354 and DJ Moore back in the lineup gives Allen another option. Moore, Coleman and Kincaid carry no injury designations, and Shakir returned to practice Saturday after missing Friday for a personal matter.

The bigger concern might be up front. Left tackle Dion Dawkins (ribs) and left guard Alec Anderson (ankle) are both questionable, and Dawkins hasn’t practiced all week. Brady wasn’t worried about that part.

“There’s certain positions that have played enough football that I believe they can go out there and do their job, certain people that can do their job without the practice,” Brady told reporters on Saturday.

Buffalo will need that line intact. The 6-1 Bills bring the NFL’s top offense by EPA into a game against the top EPA defense, and Minnesota’s defense likes to send extra rushers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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