Cook has the chance to emerge as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 6. His training camp battle with Damien Harris will be one to watch, and hopefully Cook proves to be Buffalo's best running back this year. Latavius Murray could also frustratingly be in the mix for the Bills, but Cook should have the most upside of this group. Cook shared playing time as a rookie in 2022 but had four games with double digits in carries, and he scored 16 PPR points in two of them. The Bills don't throw a lot of passes to their backs -- Devin Singletary's best season was 40 receptions in 2021 -- but maybe Cook's receiving prowess changes that. He also has to contend with Josh Allen stealing rushing touchdowns, along with Harris and Murray. Still, as a second-year running back, Cook could prove to be the best running back Buffalo has had in the Allen era. With enough work, Cook could have a breakout campaign in 2023.
The Dolphins defense vs. running backs tightened up in Week 3 against Denver, but Miami allowed three running backs to score at least 15.0 PPR points in the first two games of the season against the Chargers and Patriots. Cook has scored at least 13.2 PPR points in each of his past two games against the Raiders and Commanders, and he's done that without scoring a touchdown. It stinks that he's losing touchdowns to Latavius Murray and Damien Harris, but Cook is the best running back in Buffalo by far. And he should be considered a high-end No. 2 PPR running back in Week 4 against Miami.
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Bills' James Cook: Effective running but still no TDs
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Cook rushed 15 times for 98 yards and caught two of three targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 37-3 win over Washington.
Cook easily led the Bills in both carries and rushing yards, but he watched Latavius Murray score on the ground from in close for the second consecutive game. Along with Murray's two touchdowns, Buffalo has a rushing touchdown apiece from Damien Harris and quarterback Josh Allen through three weeks, while Cook has yet to find the end zone in 2023. The elusive second-year running back is averaging 89 rushing yards through three games, and Cook should continue to handle the majority of backfield touches in Week 4 against the Dolphins.
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Bills' James Cook: Back at practice
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Cook (personal) returned to practice Friday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Per Patrick Warren of the Bills' official site, Cook missed practice Thursday as he welcomed the birth of his daughter. With Cook back on the field Friday, the running back is on track to lead Buffalo's backfield Sunday against the Commanders. In the team's 38-10 Week 2 win over the Raiders, the 2022 second-rounder logged 17 carries for 123 yards and caught four passes for 36 yards.
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Bills' James Cook: Absent for personal reason
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Cook missed Thursday's practice due to a personal matter, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.
Per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com, Cook missed the practice in anticipation of the birth of his child. The Bills will release their final Week 3 injury report following practice Friday, when it'll be known whether Cook rejoined the team. In the team's Week 2 win over the Raiders, Cook carried 17 times for 123 yards and caught four passes for 36 yards.
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Bills' James Cook: Not spotted at practice
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Cook (undisclosed) wasn't spotted during the open portion of Thursday's practice, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Cook wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report, so it remains to be seen if the running back is dealing with an injury of some sort as Sunday's game against the Commanders approaches. Thursday's looming injury report will add some clarity on that front.
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Bills' James Cook: RBs to Start
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Cook lost out on two short-yardage touchdowns in Week 2 against Las Vegas, which went to Damien Harris and Latavius Murray, but Cook still had a breakout game against the Raiders. He had 17 carries for 123 yards and four catches for 36 yards on four targets, and he now has at least 16 total touches in each of the first two games, with eight catches on 10 targets. He's also clearly the lead running back when it comes to playing time, and the only flaw is the lack of goal-line work. The touchdowns will come, and hopefully he'll score this week against the Commanders. I like Cook as a No. 1 running back in PPR in Week 3.
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Bills' James Cook: Erupts for 159 total yards
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Cook rushed the ball 17 times for 123 yards and no touchdowns in Sunday's 38-10 win over the Raiders. He added four receptions on four targets for 36 yards.
Cook tallied the first 100-yard rushing performance of his pro career, which was powered by long gains of 36, 16 and 14 yards. While he held up his end of the deal, Cook's usage was somewhat concerning, as Latavius Murray and Damien Harris combined to tally 13 carries with each also finding the end zone. It's possible that game script had something to do with the rotation at the position, but it will be an ongoing situation worth monitoring. Despite that lingering question, Cook has racked up 225 total yards through two games this season and has proven to be a worthy contributor in the Bills' offense.
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Bills' James Cook: RBs to Start
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Cook didn't have the best debut in Week 1 at the Jets, but I expected him to struggle against a stout defense. What you have to like is he was the clear RB1 for Buffalo with 16 total touches (four catches on six targets), and he played 59 percent of the snaps. While he could lose goal-line work to Damien Harris and Josh Allen, I love that the Bills gave Cook so many opportunities in the passing game since he was second in targets behind Stefon Diggs. Buffalo is favored by 9.5 points this week, so the Bills should be able to lean on Cook against the Raiders, who allowed 10 catches to Denver's running backs in Week 1 on 12 targets.
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Bills' James Cook: RBs to Sit
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I expect Cook to be the lead running back in Buffalo this season, but given the matchup, I would like to see what the backfield split looks like in Week 1 at the Jets before starting Cook in all leagues. At best, he should be used as a flex, with his value slightly higher in PPR. Damien Harris could play a prominent role, especially at the goal line, and we know Josh Allen remains a factor there is well. Since the Jets defense is dominant up front, Cook might find running lanes hard to come by, and we'll see how much he's used in the passing game this week. The Jets also come into this game having not allowed a running back to score a touchdown in five games in a row.
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Bills' James Cook: Looks good as starter
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Cook started the Bills' preseason opener against the Colts on Saturday, rushing for 20 yards and a touchdown on four carries before exiting with the rest of the first team.
Cook got to work quickly after the Bills' defense gifted the offense with excellent field position by picking off rookie QB Anthony Richardson in Colts' territory. The 23-year-old handled all three rushing attempts on the ensuing drive, with the third being punched in for an eight-yard score. Cook was not targeted as a passer, but he may be forced to show us that part of his game following the announcement that Bills receiving back Nyheim Hines (knee) will miss the entire 2023 season. The other veteran back the front office brought in to compete with Cook, Damien Harris (knee), did not play Saturday and the team has yet to update the status of his knee injury. What once looked like a crowded backfield has suddenly opened up for Cook, which boosts his fantasy value as leagues are gearing to kick off.
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Bills' James Cook: Scores in Sunday's win
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Cook rushed 12 times for 39 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-31 win over the Dolphins in the wild-card round.
Cook took a handoff 12 yards to help double Buffalo's lead during the first quarter. Although he also had a 13-yard rush, Cook found little room to maneuver on his other carries. Meanwhile, teammate Devin Singletary rushed 10 times for 48 yards. As the Bills now advance to the AFC divisional round, expect Cook and Singletary to continuing sharing snaps alongside quarterback Josh Allen.
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Bills' James Cook: Outplays Singletary in Week 18 win
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Cook rushed nine times for 45 yards and caught both of his targets for six yards in Sunday's 35-23 win over the Patriots.
Cook was more effective than Devin Singletary, who mustered only 32 yards on eight touches and lost a fumble. After being used sparingly to start the season, the rookie second-round pick out of Georgia started to take on a larger share of Buffalo's backfield touches down the stretch, with 338 of Cook's 507 rushing yards coming in his last seven games. Cook and Singletary will likely continue to split carries in the wild-card round against the Dolphins.
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Bills' James Cook: Career-best effort Christmas Eve
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Cook rushed 11 times for 99 yards and a touchdown and caught one of two targets for nine yards in Buffalo's win over Chicago on Saturday.
The 99 rushing yards and the 108 scrimmage yards are career highs for the rookie, who continues to provide the Bills with a Robin to Devin Singletary's Batman. Cook has gone over 100 yards from scrimmage or scored a TD in three of the past four games, giving him solid value as a No. 2 running back. He'll continue to see regular touches, as newcomer Nyheim Hines barely gets looks in the regular game plan.
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Bills' James Cook: Week 17 Early Waiver Targets (Add/Drop)
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We've fallen for it before, so I don't want to make it seem like I'm viewing Cook as a must-start running back or anything. The Bills typically don't run the ball very often. They don't throw to their backs much, and when they do, Devin Singletary still tends to be the first option in most situations. But Cook continues to look very good when given the opportunity to do so, which tends to happen in games where the Bills don't need to throw much. Week 17 against the high-powered Bengals offense may not be one of the situations, but Cook has scored in consecutive games, so he could be in play if you need a running back. However, if you play into Week 18, Cook could be in line for a lot of work against the Patriots – he had 105 total yards on 20 touches the last time the Bills faced the Patriots, and Buffalo could be in position to rest their starters in that one.
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Bills' James Cook: Struggles to find open running room
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Cook carried four times for six yards and added a nine-yard reception in Sunday's 20-12 win over the Jets.
Though he and starter Devin Singletary worked in a relatively even timeshare for the second week in a row, Cook wasn't able to build on his breakthrough Week 13 outing against the Patriots, during which the rookie totaled 105 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches. Singletary was the more productive of the two backs versus the Jets (eight carries for 39 yards, one catch for four yards), but not so much so that it will guarantee him the majority of the snaps moving forward. Even if Cook sees his 41 percent snap share from Week 14 tail off a bit in another divisional game this Sunday against the Dolphins, he should at least remain ahead of trade-deadline pickup Nyheim Hines in the Bills' backfield pecking order.
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Bills' James Cook: Week 14 Waiver Priority List
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Cook had a career game in Week 13 at New England with 14 carries for 64 yards, along with six catches for 41 yards on six targets. Those are season-highs in carries, targets and catches and tied his season high in receiving yards. While Devin Singletary will likely remain the lead role, Cook should continue to get more work and could become a flex in the majority of leagues. And if Singletary were to miss any time -- or the Bills decide Cook is the better running back -- and Cook ends up in the lead role then he could become a No. 2 running back in all formats. He's worth adding for at least 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Bills' James Cook: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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So much for Cook losing his job to Nyheim Hines. Since Hines was added at the trade deadline, Cook has looked fantastic, including a career-best performance for the rookie in Week 11 against Cleveland with 11 carries for 86 yards. He's the clear handcuff for Devin Singletary, which gives him lottery-ticket appeal, but he might be working his way into flex territory in deeper leagues. Cook is worth adding in all leagues for 5-10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Bills' James Cook: Making his mark
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Cook rushed 11 times for 86 yards in Buffalo's win over over the Browns on Sunday. He was targeted twice but did not catch a pass.
This was not a case of garbage-time yards for the rookie backup to Devin Singletary, as the contest was closely contested for much of the afternoon, and Cook was used as an effective change-up to Singletary. The former showed his speed on a few of the runs and co-led the Bills in rushing yardage. While Singletary is the clear-cut No. 1 and seems to be picking up steam himself, Cook clearly is ahead of trade deadline acquisition Nyheim Hines, who's been used primarily in the return game and saw one carry for minus-8 yards Sunday. With the Bills starting to rely more on the run the last couple of games, Cook could be worth a look in deeper leagues. In keeper formats, he already should be on rosters.
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Bills' James Cook: Likely to sit third on depth chart
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Cook is expected to head into the Bills' Week 9 game against the Jets as the team's third running back after Buffalo acquired Nyheim Hines from Indianapolis on Tuesday, Michael Giardi of NFL Network reports.
Fresh off carrying five times for 35 yards while adding a 41-yard reception in Sunday's win over the Packers, Cook might have seemed poised to handle a larger role in the second half of the season behind top back Devin Singletary. Instead, the Bills' decision to trade for Hines looks like it'll render Cook as little more than an insurance option, given that Hines has been one of the NFL's top pass-catching backs since entering the NFL in 2018. Singletary is averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry on the season and hasn't done anything to change his standing as the Bills' preferred option on early downs, so it'll likely take an absence from him before Cook picks up more extensive work outside of a garbage-time scenario. It's possible Cook even finds himself on the inactive list this weekend, given that the fourth running back on the roster, Taiwan Jones, is a core special-teams contributor who dresses for every game.
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Bills' James Cook: Combines for 76 yards in win
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Cook rushed five times for 35 yards and caught his lone target for 41 yards in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Packers.
Cook stuck as the clear No. 2 back behind Devin Singletary for the second week in a row. The rookie second-round pick showed burst when he was on the field, ripping off 41 yards on an impressive catch in addition to his work as a rusher. Devin Singletary dominated the backfield touches with 15 to Cook's six, so it appears that the Bills feel more comfortable with the consistent veteran option while the team continues to rack up wins. That said, Cook is looking like a player worth stashing in the event he takes over as starter (via injury or coaching decision) later this season. For now, it's hard to recommend starting a player in fantasy with such a limited role heading into a matchup against the Jets next Sunday.
