Football is in James Cook’s blood. His older brother Dalvin may be in the unemployment line these days, but a few years ago he was a fantasy football MONSTER! He was also a 4-time pro-bowler and perennial 1st round fantasy pick who was amazing for the Minnesota Vikings. He was definitely a star but I think the younger Cook has the potential to go even further. Yes, he could even be the top overall point scorer at running back this season!
James Cook is a fluid athlete with great hands who has quickly become the best offensive weapon outside of Josh Allen on the Bills roster. He nimbly breaks tackles and makes hard catches look routine. The scary part is that he hasn’t begun to reach his full potential.
JAMES COOK WAS GREAT LAST SEASON
Last season, Cook stepped up and became the main running back for the Buffalo Bills. He rushed for over 1,100 yards and caught 44 passes for 445 yards. Pretty Nice! The only thing that held him up was Josh Allen serving as the de facto goal-line back. Cook only scored 2 touchdowns on the ground, much to the frustration of his fantasy football owners.
While last season left many wanting more, I actually loved what I saw. He became THE GUY in the backfield as the season progressed and earned the trust of his teammates and coaches alike. By the time the playoffs arrived, Cook was fully entrenched as the starter and finisher. Now, after some major changes, Buffalo will need more from their young and talented running back.
MORE OPPORTUNITY TO COME FOR JAMES COOK
This offseason saw the Bill lose both their starting wide receivers in Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Diggs was shipped off to Houston while Davis signed a nice contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Diggs and Davis combined for 152 catches and 15 reception touchdowns, which is a ton of production.
That left Khalil Shakir as the top wide receiver until the Bills drafted Keon Coleman and signed Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdez-Scanding. Shakir has had moments of greatness and has Josh Allen’s trust, while Keon offers a great deal of upside after dominating at Florida State. Samuel is a moveable chess piece who can line up out wide, in the slot, or even in the backfield and MVS is a true deep threat with blazing speed. All these changes have changed the team’s dynamic and left James Cook in a position to thrive.
Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox return at tight end. Both are solid pass catchers and blockers who will help provide strong blocking lanes for Cook. The only significant loss on the offensive line was center Mitch Morse, but that alone shouldn’t stop the Bills from pounding the rock. He should increase his rushing yardage this season, but it’s his passing usage and touchdown regression that excite me the most.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There are a ton of receptions up for grabs with all the changes at receiver. No one is going to replace Diggs and Davis by themselves and James Cook will have a great chance to pick up the slack. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his reception total double this year, which could allow Cook to reach 1,000 yards receiving. It’s there for the taking and he has the skill to capitalize on the opportunity. His offensive coordinator Joe Brady even said he “looks different” so far this offseason and that could make up for last year’s scoring bad luck.
Cook had some trouble last season when it came to scoring touchdowns. Heck, Josh Allen had the same number of rushing touchdowns in last season’s Christmas battle versus New England as Cook had all season. But Buffalo has repeatedly said that they don’t want Allen taking so much punishment and Josh seems to agree. That alone could lead to James Cook getting more of those Red Zone looks all fantasy managers crave. And if that happens, look out for Cook to be the potential 2025 number-one overall fantasy draft pick.
