James Cook Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

According to multiple reports, the Bills are sending WR Stefon Diggs to the Texans. Buffalo is also sending a 2024 sixth-round pick and 2025 fifth-rounder to Houston, while getting back only a second-round pick in 2025. Diggs' production fell off late last season after the Bills switched offensive coordinators. Now 30 and in a new offense, Diggs will have to show he's not in decline. He'll add the challenge of splitting targets with Houston's emergent young wideouts. Nico Collins (seventh) and Tank Dell (12th) both ranked among the top 12 WRs in PPR points per game last season, with rookie QB C.J. Stroud. The Diggs addition obviously lowers the target-share ceiling for all three wideouts. We'll also have to see exactly how Houston plans to deploy them. Diggs spent 35.7% of his pass snaps in the slot last year; 34.2% the year before. He topped 30% in that category for three of his four Buffalo seasons, surpassed only by his 2016 sophomore season (62.9%). Collins spent 20.1% of his time in the slot last year; Dell 28.7%. We'd bet on all three moving around the formation some. But Diggs could wind up primarily replacing Robert Woods (55.5% slot) and Noah Brown (39.3%). The trio gives Stroud one of the league's best WR groups and boosts his fantasy upside. The QB already sat sixth at the position in Underdog Fantasy ADP, though. That adds risk to Stroud as a draft target and gives him little room to move up. QB Josh Allen, meanwhile, has lost his top two wideouts (Gabe Davis the other) while adding only WR Curtis Samuel this offseason. The dearth of remaining talent adds risk to his fantasy outlook, though you shouldn't expect the high-level rusher to move significantly down our rankings. As for other affected players: Diggs' departure leaves target share available for TE Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir. His arrival in Houston makes life tougher for TE Dalton Schultz. He already sat just 13th among TEs in best ball ADP, though, and will likely fall further following this trade. Be sure to check our rankings for your format to see all the effects of this high-impact deal.

The Bills released RB Leonard Fournette from the practice squad. He was not elevated for the Wild Card win over the Steelers, so the news isn't a big surprise. Buffalo will continue to roll with RBs James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Latavius Murray. The 29-year-old Fournette's NFL career is on the ropes.

The Steelers-Bills game originally scheduled for 1 pm ET on Sunday has been moved to 4:30 pm ET on Monday. Buffalo is expecting heavy snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph on Sunday. The forecast for Monday calls for light snow, sustained winds around 15 mph, and gusts up to 30 mph. That's still tough weather for the passing and kicking games -- but significantly better than it would have been on Sunday. We're adjusting our projections for this game.

Bills RB James Cook totaled 13 carries for 36 rushing yards with 3 catches for 16 receiving yards in Week 18 vs. the Dolphins. Sunday night's showing wasn't the most robust performance we've seen from the second-year back and marked the third straight game in which he'd finished a contest with fewer than 10 PPR points. Still, Cook made several improvements in his sophomore campaign. His overall opportunity share in Buffalo lept from 7.4% as a rookie in 2022 to 17.1% this year en route to finishing with the third-most total scrimmage yards (1,567) among RBs. Cook turns 25 in September and seems poised to hold onto the Bills' leading job moving forward. That should help him maintain firm RB2-level value in dynasty formats into 2024.

Bills RB James Cook carried 20 times for 70 yards in Saturday’s win over the Chargers. He didn’t see a target, as Josh Allen attempted only 21 passes. Cook also lost a fumble late in the game, although he wasn’t benched. Leonard Fournette mixed in for 5 carries (0 targets) in his 2023 debut. Fournette – and Latavius Murray – each handled one goal line carry, matching Cook’s total. But it was Allen who popped in a pair of short-range rushing scores. A solid New England run D awaits in Week 17, but Cook will remain a near must-start.

Bills RB Ty Johnson (shoulder) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Chargers. RB Leonard Fournette is making his Buffalo debut in this one, joining James Cook and Latavius Murray in the backfield. Cook remains a strong fantasy play. Fournette and Murray are only options on the Saturday DFS slate.

RB James Cook was the Bills' offense in the Week 15 win over the Cowboys, accounting for 221 of the team's 360 total yards (61%). Cook gashed the Dallas run defense all game, turning 25 carries into 179 yards (7.1 YPC) and a score. He added two catches for 42 yards, including an 18-yard TD on a corner route to the front pylon. Cook was the best player on the field in this game -- and the Bills wisely rode him. QB Josh Allen finished with just 94 passing yards on 15 attempts. Don't expect another game like this from the Bills or Cook the rest of the way. But Cook has clearly been the biggest winner from the OC change to Joe Brady. He's now averaged 17.0 carries and 4.8 targets for 141 total yards in four games under Brady. Week 16 brings an excellent matchup vs. the Chargers' 20th-ranked RB defense. The sledding will be tougher in Week 17 against New England, but Cook's passing-game role will keep him a must-start for that one.

Bills RB James Cook logged a season-high 22 touches in Sunday's loss to the Eagles: 16 carries and a season-high 6 receptions. It marked the third time this season he has reached 20 touches and the second such game in a row. So does that mean his role is growing? No. Cook's carry and opportunity shares have not increased the past two weeks, following the team's OC switch. In fact, Cook's 51.6% share of RB carries against Philly was his second-smallest of the season. His 53.5% opportunity share (carries + targets) was his fourth-lowest. Cook benefited in each case from high team play volume. The Bills ran a season-high 92 plays at Philadelphia and 76 in the Week 11 win over the Jets, their third-most plays of the year. Buffalo RBs, though, have also seen a boost in target share over the past two games. A 21.9% share against the Jets was the highest since the season opener -- until Sunday's 23.5% share. If that continues, Cook's fantasy numbers would certainly benefit. He has caught four passes in two straight games after reaching that number just twice through the first 10 weeks. Buffalo now heads into a Week 13 bye. Then come matchups with the Chiefs and Cowboys that should support RB targets, because each ranks among the league's toughest WR defenses. Then comes Cook's best remaining matchup (Chargers) and a Week 17 rematch with New England. The Patriots afforded him 102 total yards and a TD at 6.4 yards per touch in their first meeting. Cook should be a solid PPR contributor the rest of the way. He won't be a lock for strong touch counts, though. Latavius Murray actually played 1 more snap vs. Philly, ran six more routes, and trailed Cook by just 1 target. Ty Johnson has also worked in for 6 touches each of the past two weeks. Leonard Fournette, meanwhile, has yet to be called up from the practice squad a month after signing.

Monday night was an eventful evening for Bills RB James Cook. The second-year back tallied 12 carries for 109 rushing yards in Week 10 vs. the Broncos, the second-highest yardage total he’s recorded in 2023. He unfortunately also fumbled twice in the contest, including a lost ball on the Bills’ first play of the game. He was benched for several series thereafter before returning to the field in the second quarter. Teammate Latavius Murray saw an uptick in involvement as a result (9-68-1). It’s also worth mentioning that Leonard Fournette wasn’t brought up onto the active roster for the second week in a row. This backfield is a bit messy and will only have more complications given that the Bills’ remaining schedule ranks fourth-toughest for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Next up on the calendar is an AFC East showdown with the Jets (19th in run defense DVOA).

Bills RB James Cook had a tough outing in Week 9 vs. the Bengals. The second-year back racked up just 39 total yards on a combined 10 touches in the contest. Fellow RB Latavius Murray was also minimally impactful, contributing a mere 10 total yards on 3 touches. It’s also notable that recent free agent signee Leonard Fournette was not promoted to the active roster on Sunday. The Bills’ run game has been largely ineffective of late, but there’s reason for fantasy managers to be optimistic moving forward. Buffalo’s remaining schedule ranks 12th-easiest for RB in adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reports that RB Leonard Fournette is planning to sign with the Bills, pending a physical. The move would add Fournette to a backfield currently led by James Cook, who ranks just 26th among RBs in PPR points per game. Adding Fournette would seem to indicate the team hopes he can at least be an upgrade over Latavius Murray and Damien Harris -- and perhaps that the Bills would like to siphon a bit more work away from Cook. The crowd will make it tough for any Buffalo RB to consistently help your fantasy lineup. We'll watch for more details on how quickly the Bills plan to bring Fournette along and how the work might be split.

Update: Fournette has passed his physical and is signing with the team's practice squad, his agents have said. Don't be surprised if the Bills elevate him as soon as this weekend.

Bills RB James Cook received 13 carries for 56 yards in Week 7 vs. the Patriots. He also hauled all 3 targets for 46 yards with a receiving TD as a pass-catcher in Sunday’s loss. Veteran back Latavius Murray produced very little as the sole RB2, posting just 28 total yards on 6 touches. With their Week 8 game vs. the Buccaneers coming on Thursday night, it’ll be interesting to see if Buffalo is inclined to more evenly distribute the workload. Regardless, Cook will be a quality RB2 option for lineups.

The Bills placed RB Damien Harris (neck, concussion) on IR. He'll miss at least the next four games and can be dropped in most fantasy leagues. RB Latavius Murray should get an uptick in work with Harris sidelined. Harris' absence can't hurt RB James Cook's volume either.

Bills RB James Cook received 14 carries for 71 yards in Week 6's win vs. the Giants. Surprisingly, the second-year back didn't register a single target or catch in the contest, the first time that's happened in the 2023 season. After Damien Harris left late in the second quarter due to a frightening neck injury, RB Latavius Murray stepped up in spelling Cook and ended Sunday night with 45 rushing yards on 12 carries. It's also worth noting that Murray received 4 red zone carries to Cook's 1 against the Giants. Though the veteran didn't find the end zone, Murray brings some fantasy viability as a decent flex option with TD upside for managers with players on bye weeks. Next week, the Bills will take on the Patriots.

Bills RB James Cook hauled 3 of 4 targets for 25 receiving yards in Week 5’s loss vs. the Jaguars. He was unfortunately not as effective as a runner, totaling -4 yards on 5 carries. His teammate Damien Harris didn't do much better, leading all Bills RBs with 13 yards on 3 carries. The Jaguars’ defense entered Week 5 as the sixth-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs in 2023 and did a tremendous job of stopping runners again this week. We expect Cook and company to have a much better time in Week 6 vs. the Giants.