Perhaps lost in the aftermath of the injury to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook came up with one of the best games of his career in Thursday’s 31-10 win in Miami.
Should Cook now be viewed as a top-10 running back by fantasy football managers?
James Cook’s Stats vs. Dolphins on Thursday Night Football
Cook, who had a decent performance in Week 1 vs. the Arizona Cardinals when he tallied 13.3 fantasy points and 103 scrimmage yards, had his first career three-touchdown game in Thursday’s win.
Cook scored on a 17-yard reception on the Bills’ first drive and then added touchdown runs of 1 yard and 49 yards, the latter of which was his career-long touchdown run, in the first half. The Bills entered halftime up 24-10 on the way to an easy win and a 2-0 start.
Cook now has 12 total touchdowns in his career, with eight of those 12 scores coming from 15+ yards away.
Cook also finished the night with 78 rushing yards, the fourth time in his last six games he’s topped 70 rushing yards, including both games this season.
Cook had 90 or more scrimmage yards for the second straight game, finishing with 95 total yards.
That isn’t too much of a surprise. Last year, Cook topped 90 scrimmage yards in eight of 17 games.
Cook’s Fantasy Performance and Outlook
Cook, who came into Week 2 ranked as RB12 in Pro Football Network’s Fantasy Rankings, finished Thursday with 27.5 fantasy points, the second-most fantasy points in a game by a running back this season behind only Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who had 33.2 fantasy points against the Green Bay Packers last Friday.
For Cook, it was the second-best fantasy game of his career, topped only by his Week 15 effort last season vs. the Dallas Cowboys (36.1 points).
Cook had a career-high 22 touches in Week 1 but fell far below that mark on Thursday, finishing with 12. But the circumstances of Thursday’s game probably played a bigger role in Cook’s touches, and it’s likely that his touches going forward will lean more towards his Week 1 total.
Cook ranked 19th last season among running backs in fantasy scoring, averaging 13.7 fantasy points per game. His Week 1 scoring of 13.3 fantasy points may have had some fantasy managers thinking that they were going to get a repeat performance from Cook.
But after approaching nearly 30 fantasy points on Thursday, there is reason to wonder if Cook should be ranked a little higher among fantasy running backs.
At the very least, Cook should be viewed highly for next week’s matchup when Buffalo hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football on Sept. 23.
The Jaguars have been less than impressive defensively of late. Jacksonville, which ranked 22nd in total defense last season, allowed 400 total yards in a Week 1 loss to the Dolphins.
The Bills will play three consecutive road games after Week 3 at the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, and New York Jets. So, for fantasy managers, Week 3 may be their best chance to get maximum production from Cook.