The Buffalo Bills will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB James Cook.
Is James Cook Playing in Week 13?
Cook is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Bills’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit James Cook in Week 13?
James Cook has returned great profits on your investment this summer with six RB1 finishes this season, including in three of his past four games as he trends toward matchup-proof status.
Cook has remained plenty involved in the passing game (15 targets over his past three games), but there is no denying that his biggest growth from last season to this one is in his ability to find paydirt with eight more rushing scores this year on 100 fewer carries than 2023.
The spiking touchdown rate has fueled a 23.8% increase in PPR points per touch for Cook, and while Ray Davis has looked the part when given the opportunity, it’s clear that Buffalo is comfortable with a bell-cow situation.
The 49ers own a top-10 run defense in nearly every metric you should be interested in, and while that hurts the upside case for Cook this week, his volume and versatility keep him ranked as a must-start in all formats without much question.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
James Cook’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Cook is projected to score 14.8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 15.7 rushing attempts for 81.8 yards and 0.2 touchdowns. It also includes 1.3 receptions for 29 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the 49ers' Defense
The continued decline of the San Francisco 49ers' defense this season compared to the last two is a concern. Having been a top-seven unit each year between 2019 and 2022, they ranked 10th last year and have slipped further this season.
The first four years were with Saleh and Ryans as San Francisco's DCs, with Steve Wilks on board for one season in 2023 and Nick Sorensen taking over the role in 2024.
The run defense has been a concern all season, and the Packers exploited it as they churned out yards and easily moved the sticks in Week 12. The pass defense has been fine, but just being fine when working alongside a below-average run defense isn't enough to compensate.
The biggest concern this season has been continued struggles on third down and inside the red zone. That has left the 49ers struggling to stop drives and points at times, leaving them reliant on their pass rush to get after opposing quarterbacks and force turnovers. That element has worked well, but Nick Bosa's injury situation is a major concern.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
James Cook’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 RB PPR Rankings
1) De'Von Achane | MIA (at GB)
2) Saquon Barkley | PHI (at BAL)
3) Joe Mixon | HOU (at JAX)
4) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at BUF)
5) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. LAC)
6) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. PHI)
7) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. CHI)
8) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NE)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (at NO)
10) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. SEA)
11) James Conner | ARI (at MIN)
12) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. MIA)
13) David Montgomery | DET (vs. CHI)
14) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (at NYJ)
15) James Cook | BUF (vs. SF)
16) Alvin Kamara | NO (vs. LAR)
17) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. PIT)
18) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. ARI)
19) Bucky Irving | TB (at CAR)
20) Najee Harris | PIT (at CIN)
21) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (vs. TB)
22) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at DAL)
23) Tony Pollard | TEN (at WAS)
24) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. TEN)
25) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. NYG)
26) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. LV)
27) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at DET)
28) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. IND)
29) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
30) Gus Edwards | LAC (at ATL)
31) Rachaad White | TB (at CAR)
32) Nick Chubb | CLE (at DEN)
33) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. HOU)
34) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. TEN)
35) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at CIN)
36) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. LV)
37) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. CLE)
38) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. LAC)
39) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. CLE)
40) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at DET)
41) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. PHI)
42) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. SF)
43) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at GB)
44) Jerome Ford | CLE (at DEN)
45) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at KC)
46) Cam Akers | HOU (at JAX)
47) Trey Benson | ARI (at MIN)
48) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at GB)
49) Devin Singletary | NYG (at DAL)
50) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. SEA)
51) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. MIA)
52) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at NYJ)
53) Jonathon Brooks | CAR (vs. TB)
54) Jordan Mason | SF (at BUF)
55) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. LV)
56) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. CLE)
57) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at WAS)
58) Blake Corum | LAR (at NO)
59) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. IND)
60) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (vs. PHI)
61) Dylan Laube | LV (at KC)
62) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (at BAL)
63) Sean Tucker | TB (at CAR)
64) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. PIT)
65) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at JAX)
66) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (vs. NYG)
67) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. IND)
68) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LAR)
69) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at BUF)
70) Will Shipley | PHI (at BAL)
71) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at BUF)
72) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. MIA)
73) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (at CIN)
74) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. ARI)
75) Trey Sermon | IND (at NE)
76) Emari Demercado | ARI (at MIN)
77) Carson Steele | KC (vs. LV)
78) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at JAX)
79) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at ATL)
80) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NE)
81) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. PHI)
82) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. NYG)
83) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at DEN)
84) Julius Chestnut | TEN (at WAS)
85) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. CHI)
86) Dalvin Cook | DAL (vs. NYG)
87) J.J. Taylor | HOU (at JAX)
88) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. CLE)
89) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. CHI)
90) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. ARI)
91) Ronnie Rivers | LAR (at NO)
92) Travis Homer | CHI (at DET)
93) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at NYJ)
94) Blake Watson | DEN (vs. CLE)
95) Eric Gray | NYG (at DAL)
96) Tyreik McAllister | LV (at KC)
97) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at DAL)
98) Alec Ingold | MIA (at GB)
99) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at MIN)
San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills Trends
San Francisco 49ers
Team: The 49ers have lost consecutive games on two separate occasions this season – the last time they did that was in 2020.
QB: Brandon Allen was fine when not pressured (75% complete), but was just two-of-nine when feeling the heat.
Offense: The 49ers averaged 2.31 points per drive in Weeks 1-11, a rate that dropped to 0.83 under Allen in Lambeau on Sunday.
Defense: San Francisco creates pressure on 36.3% of non-blitzed dropbacks, the sixth-highest rate in the league through 12 weeks.
Fantasy: Is there a more difficult player to rank with confidence annually than Deebo Samuel Sr.?
- 2021: 37.6% production over expectation
- 2022: 13.7% production under expectations
- 2023: 35.2% production over expectations
- 2024: 10.2% production under expectations
Betting: Over tickets have come through in each of the 49ers’ past five primetime games.
Buffalo Bills
Team: A seventh straight win would match Buffalo’s longest single-season run of the 2000s (2022).
QB: Why is Josh Allen’s interception rate (1.5%) trending for a career-low? His quick pass rate sits at 67%, easily a career-high (2023: 58.4%).
Offense: The Bills have picked at least 50% of their third downs in four straight games (one such effort in their first seven games).
Defense: Buffalo is allowing opponents to convert 40.8% of third downs, its worst rate since 2012 (44%).
Defense: Patience. The Bills blitz at the third lowest rate, joining the Eagles and Ravens in the bottom-5 of that stat as teams with Super Bowl dreams.
Fantasy: James Cook has six RB1 finishes this season, thanks to having eight more rushing touchdowns on 100 fewer carries than a season ago.
Betting: Overs have cashed in six straight Buffalo home games.