Fantasy football: Where to draft Buffalo Bills RB James Cook

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Buffalo Bills RB James Cook had a breakout campaign last year in just his 2nd NFL season. After playing as mostly and RB2 his rookie year, Cook took over RB1 duties for Buffalo in 2023 and showed out, more than doubling both his rushing and receiving yards compared to his rookie campaign. Below, we look at James Cooks’ 2024 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.

Entering 2024, Cook is expected to continue to be a very good RB1 for the Bills and will look to become even more of a focal point for a Buffalo offense that lost a lot of talent in the offseason. After bursting onto the scene last year, fans can expect to see Cook continue to improve and be a safety net for the Bills and QB Josh Allen.

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James Cook’s ADP: 44.55

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Cook’s ADP in redraft leagues places him in the range of the 4th to 5th round depending on the size of the league. Cook’s ADP has him just slightly behind New Orleans RB Alvin Kamara (43.91) and Philadelphia WR DeVonta Smith (44.44).

Among running backs, Cook’s ADP puts him 16th at the position behind Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III (38.81) and Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs (41.79). New Houston RB Joe Mixon (46.58) is 17th.

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James Cooks’s 2023-24 stats

Games: 17

Carries | rushing yards: 237 | 1,122

Rushing touchdowns: 2

Receptions | receiving yards: 44 | 445

Receiving touchdowns: 4

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Where should you draft Cook?

Cook’s fantasy value should get a boost this season as the Bills lost their top 2 receivers in Stefon Diggs (to the Texans) and Gabe Davis (to the Jaguars) in the offseason.

Cook’s role in the offense, in both the passing and running games, should increase as he is one of the few pieces on this offense that Allen and the coaching staff know they can rely on. Cook should get more looks inside the red zone in both goal-line run and short pass situations, which will help his rushing TD numbers look a little better.

The Bills are a team that will go as far as their QB takes them, so this means that they will always defer to what Allen wants to do. Unfortunately for Cook, Allen is a very gifted runner, which will take away at least a few of Cook’s carries.

Cook is also a guy that has a bit of a fumble problem, coughing the ball up 3 times last season which tied for 2nd-most in the league by any RB. This number is not alarming, but it is something to be aware of.

You should feel comfortable taking Cook as a high-end RB2 somewhere in the 4th round. He’s not a guy that will get a ton of touchdowns, but his yardage alone makes him a very good pick for some depth in your RB room.

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