James Cook Provides a High Floor at Running Back

The running back position can be polarizing in fantasy football. For those who want to wait on the position and avoid drafting the top-tier options, getting a high-floor running back after the first couple of rounds can help them stabilize the position. One running back to consider for that strategy is Bills RB James Cook, who is coming off the best season of his career.

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Breakout 2024 Season

After a quiet rookie season in 2022, Cook received 237 carries in 2023. He turned them into 1,122 rushing yards. He also made an impact in the passing game, catching 44 of 54 targets for 445 yards. The good news was that he had four receiving touchdowns. However, he had just two rushing touchdowns, despite his heavy workload. He was given 33 carries inside the red zone, five of which came inside the five-yard line.

Cook had fewer carries in 2024, but he was still heavily involved with 207 rushing attempts. He finished with 1,009 rushing yards to go along with 32 receptions for 258 receiving yards. However, the reason for his breakout campaign was his 16 rushing touchdowns. A big difference was that he was given 48 carries inside the red zone, 15 of which came from inside the five-yard line.

Even with his breakout production in the touchdown department last season, Cook has an ADP of 34 according to 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP. That leaves him as RB13, meaning he could even be an RB2 for some fantasy managers who prioritize selecting two running backs within the first three rounds of their draft.

Bills Potent Offense

The Bills had one of the most productive offenses in the NFL last season. They averaged 30.9 points per game, ranking second only to the Lions. They were one of only three teams that averaged at least 30 points per game.

The Bills should continue to score in bunches with QB Josh Allen at the helm. Over the last five seasons, they have finished inside the top three in the league in points per game four times. The one season that they didn’t during that span, they finished sixth. There’s no reason to believe that Cook won’t receive ample red zone rushing attempts again in 2025.

Bills Passing Attack Largely Unchanged

The Bills were not a pass-happy team last season. They attempted 520 passes, which was the seventh-fewest in the NFL. Part of the reason was that they didn’t have great depth at wide receiver. The position was led by Khalil Shakir, who caught 76 of 100 targets for 821 yards and four touchdowns. No other wide receiver on the team even reached 60 targets.

Shakir and Keon Coleman are back to lead the Bills at wide receiver again this season. The team added Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore during the offseason, but neither one of them has the makeup of a big-time receiver. Expect the Bills to run a lot again in 2025.

Backups Behind Cook

Last season, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson served as the primary backups at running back behind Cook. Davis finished with 113 carries, while Johnson had 41 carries. The Bills selected Davis in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft, and he does have some upside. It would seem encouraging that he received 19 carries inside the red zone last season, but six of those came in a game against the Jets that Cook didn’t play.

The Bills must feel comfortable with their running back options because they did not make any noteworthy additions during the offseason. That should set up Davis and Johnson to remain Cook’s primary backups.

The Bottom Line

• James Cook is coming off a career-high 16 rushing touchdowns with the Bills last season.
• Cook plays for one of the most productive offenses in the league, with the Bills ranking inside the top-three in the NFL in points per game in four of the last five seasons.
• The Bills didn’t make any significant additions at running back during the offseason. They also didn’t add any top-tier talent at wide receiver, leaving them with an underwhelming depth chart at the position.
• According to 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP, Cook is being drafted as RB13 with an overall ADP of 34. Given the offense that he plays within and the potential for him to surpass 200 carries for the third straight season, Cook comes with a high floor in fantasy football.