This is the year to invest in James Cook, according to Pro Football Focus.
The football analytics outlet named five “league winners” for the upcoming fantasy football and NFL season. Cook’s name appears.
Fresh off his first season as a Pro Bowler in 2023, Cook could be a big piece in fantasy football leagues this year. Especially since Joe Brady was named Buffalo’s full-time offensive coordinator.
When Brady took over for Ken Dorsey last season in the middle of the year, he had a new-found commitment to the rushing attack which Cook benefited from.
But the one concern Cook owners might have would be with his touchdown totals. Could fourth-round rookie Ray Davis cut into Cook’s totals?
PFF’s full fantasy football breakdown on Cook can be found below:
Cook flashed versatility in his second season, playing well on gap/zone plays and excelling on non-perfectly blocked plays and against eight-man boxes. He has been particularly good at breaking off longer runs, although they haven’t led to touchdowns.
The Georgia product took major steps forward in his utilization from his rookie year to his sophomore campaign, playing significantly more snaps in every situation while receiving the ball roughly the same amount while he was on the field.
Latavius Murray and Damien Harris were his primary competition early in the 2023 season, but neither is on the 2024 roster. Buffalo signed Leonard Fournette in the middle of the season, but he ended up playing only 26 snaps. Ty Johnson has been mostly a receiving back in his NFL career and could have that role again, while fourth-rounder Ray Davis may also factor in.
The big question for Cook is what his goal-line work will look like. He ran the ball four times when the Bills were within four yards of scoring last season, which isn’t nearly enough. The other Bills running backs had 13 such carries. Davis may get those carries in 2024, given his size. The bigger problem is dual-threat quarterback Josh Allen, who ran 15 times in those situations. Ideally, Cook will get more goal-line carries, but even if he doesn’t, we should expect similar touchdown production to last season, if not better with more breakaway runs for touchdowns.
The Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey following Week 10 of 2023, and Joe Brady took over. That corresponds closely to when Cook started receiving the ball more often. He averaged 12 carries and 2.4 receptions per game in 2023 with Dorsey and 17 carries and 3.1 receptions per game with Brady.
Cook finished at RB12 last season, in part thanks to his ability to stay healthy, but several factors, including less veteran competition, the offensive coordinator change, continuity on the offensive line and the Bills not being as strong, all point to Cook seeing more opportunities this season.