James Cook’s production is overshadowed with regularity by his MVP level QB, but fantasy football managers are well aware that he’s scored 32 touchdowns over the past two seasons. There is no question about what he can do, but where to slot him among the best in the game has been a hot topic this offseason and I think there’s a pretty clear answer.
Should I Draft James Cook III in Fantasy Football?
Cook isn’t flying under fantasy radars by any means; he’s coming off of boards at the 1-2 turn, but it does feel like the masses are a bit hesitant to acknowledge not only what this man has done, but what he has the potential to do.
Ray Davis is a fine RB2, but he doesn’t scare me off of this prediction (he didn’t stand in the way last year) after the Bills elected not to put the ball in his stomach a single time during the postseason. This is a bellcow situation at a high level, and given the superpowers of Josh Allen, do we have any reason to believe that running lanes won’t present themselves?
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For his career, Cook is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and that’s without Buffalo posting a single top-10 offensive line grading per our Impact metric. I think we are trending in the right direction in terms of the big uglies up front (BUF RB’s picked up a league best 2.23 yards per carry before first contact last season, up 37.7% from 2024) and that trajectory has me thinking that the 1,621 yards he ran for a season ago can be repeated … or improved upon?
Buffalo Rush Rate/Rank When Leading
2022: 43.3% (29th)
2023: 51.2% (14th)
2024: 53.1% (8th)
2025: 58.3% (4th)
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We are looking at the complete package, but his star doesn’t shine as bright as some of the others at the position because his highlights aren’t as fun, and his QB is the MVP favorite. I’ve got Cook joining Derrick Henry (2019-20) and LaDainian Tomlinson (2006-07) as the only RBs to repeat as rushing champions in the 2000’s and that would all but assure you value in making him your first pick this season.
If you’re in the business of schedule evaluation, the Bills get two vulnerable defenses in the final three weeks (Bears and Dolphins) with the exception being a Broncos unit that could look to neutralize Allen, thus putting even more usage on the plate of his RB1.
Kyle Soppe’s RB Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Bijan Robinson | ATL
- Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
- James Cook III | BUF
- Ashton Jeanty | LV
- Jonathan Taylor | IND
- Christian McCaffrey | SF
- De'Von Achane | MIA
- Saquon Barkley | PHI
- Chase Brown | CIN
- Derrick Henry | BAL
- Javonte Williams | DAL
- Kenneth Walker III | KC
- Jeremiyah Love | ARI
- Omarion Hampton | LAC
- D'Andre Swift | CHI
- Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
- Breece Hall | NYJ
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- Josh Jacobs | GB
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
- Kenny Gainwell | TB
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- Tony Pollard | TEN
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Rico Dowdle | PIT
- Blake Corum | LAR
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Rachaad White | WAS
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- Isiah Pacheco | DET
- Nick Singleton | TEN
- James Conner | ARI
- Kimani Vidal | LAC
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG
- Jaylen Wright | MIA
- Woody Marks | HOU
