Buffalo Bills RB Ray Davis showcased his talent last season, but didn’t see enough work to be relevant in fantasy football behind James Cook. With Cook still entrenched as the starter, is Davis anything more than a handcuff this season? Should fantasy managers target him as one of the higher upside backup RBs?
Ray Davis Fantasy Outlook
When dealing with backup running backs, we need to be confident in two things. Is he likely to be the one who benefits from an injury to the starter? Can he produce at or near the level of starter?
Fantasy managers are historically not as good as we like to think at assessing backup running backs. Oftentimes, when the starter goes down, the guy who steps up either isn’t as good as we thought, or is sharing the backfield with someone unexpected.
For Davis, I don’t think we have to worry about either of those things. Fortunately, we already have proof of concept.
Last season, Cook missed one game. Veteran Ty Johnson got the ceremonial start, but Davis was the feature back. As a rookie, Davis wound up playing 62% of the snaps and handling 23 opportunities, which he turned into 152 scoreless yards. Davis posted 18.2 fantasy points without a touchdown. That is some serious upside.
Here is every play of Ray Davis versus the Jets on MNF last season
Can he be the Bills rb1 if Cook leaves? #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/IyJoF9bKzS
— SleeperBills (@SleeperBills) May 20, 2025
Given that we already saw what the Bills would do if Cook missed a game, we know Davis would be the primary beneficiary and that he’s capable of producing at the same level as the starter. The Bills decided to run it back with Cook, Davis, and Johnson as their backfield trio. That means we have every reason to think they will deploy these backs the same way.
Davis’ ADP sits at RB51. He is surrounded by a bunch of other backs who are also pure handcuffs with no real chance at standalone value. It’s really pick your poison with this group.
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We know what Davis can do in the starter’s role. However, Cook has a pretty strong history of health, with the game above being the only one he’s missed in his career.
I have Davis ranked as my RB42, which is surprisingly above consensus. He’s in that cluster of backup running backs with varying degrees of upside and likelihood of getting chances to start. If you take Davis, or any one of those backs, do so with the knowledge that they will be burning a hole in your roster for as long as the starter stays healthy.
Frank Ammirante’s Ray Davis Projection
Ray Davis should be considered one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy football. This is a second-year back who showed flashes of brilliance last year, most notably against the Jets, where he rushed 20 times for 95 yards and caught three passes for 55 yards.
Still, I would temper expectations if you think Davis is going to take much work from James Cook, as he’s still one of the best weapons on this team. If you take Davis while acknowledging that he’s just a lottery ticket bench stash, he’s definitely worth a shot.Â
If Cook were to miss time due to injury, Davis would have top-12 upside at the position. After all, the Bills still have an elite offensive line in a run-heavy scheme. Keep in mind that Ty Johnson would still take away passing game work in that scenario.
