James Cook

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• Bills' James Cook: Quick start to preseason

  8D ago • By RotoWire

  Cook carried the ball five times for 21 yards in Saturday's 29-14 preseason win over the Panthers. The reigning NFL rushing champ played the entire first quarter in the Bills' preseason opener, and Cook's longest gain was a 13-yard scamper that helped set up a Keon Coleman touchdown. Josh Allen remains the focal point of the offense, but Cook proved last season that he can rack up elite production as well, and the fifth-year RB could see more receiving work in 2026 as new offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael adds some wrinkles to Joe Brady's scheme.

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• Bills' James Cook: Could get more passing-game work

  13D ago • By RotoWire

  Bills offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael didn't rule out the possibility of Cook having more involvement as a pass catcher in 2026, Alex Brasky of SI.com reports. "Anytime you can get the ball in [Cook's] hands, you have an opportunity for a big play," Carmichael said Monday. "I think he can bring value not only in the run game but the pass game as well." Between 17 regular-season and two postseason contests in 2025, Cook took on 348 carries, handily surpassing his previous career high of 273 totes over 19 contests in 2023. The running back ended up leading the league in rushing with 1,621 yards, but head coach Joe Brady has already mentioned the possibility of taking some of that workload off the 26-year-old's plate. One way the Bills could limit the pounding Cook takes between the tackles without sacrificing his overall touches would be to increase his involvement in the passing game, where he's averaged 7.1 yards per target during his four-year career. Ty Johnson has carved out a role as a pass-catching specialist the past three seasons, but he exited Monday's practice with a knee issue. Cook may end up taking on more third-down snaps out of necessity if Johnson's injury lingers into the regular season.

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• Bills' James Cook: More balanced approach in 2026?

  25D ago • By RotoWire

  New coach Joe Brady acknowledged this week that Cook's workload was high after the running back took 309 carries over 17 regular-season games, and the coach discussed the potential of sharing the load a bit more this season, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports. Said Brady, "I don't think you ever go into each game with a mindset of, 'This is how many carries he's going to have.' But it does pile up throughout the season, and I give him a lot of credit. I would love to be able to get Ray (Davis), Ty (Johnson), Frank (Gore Jr.) those guys involved and I hope those opportunities come up this year. James was just playing at such a high level last year. And this year again we're looking at everything." Cook won the league rushing title last season, but it's worth noting the last five NFL rushing title winners have seen their totals decrease significantly the following season, and only two players this century (Derrick Henry and LaDainian Tomlinson) have won back-to-back titles. That's not to say Cook can't achieve high totals again, just that it's incredibly difficult to do so. In fact, his regular-season carries increased by 102 from a mostly healthy prior season. While Cook is an attractive fantasy option in this offense -- which hasn't changed much from last season and remains elite -- this is a team with its sights set on a deep playoff run, not winning another individual rushing title. Also, Brady might be inclined to throw the ball a bit more this season, as he's now the head coach instead of the offensive coordinator. The bottom line is that Cook is a great piece for any fantasy team, but the Bills may look for angles to work in his capable backups this season.

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• Bills' James Cook: Heads into Year 5 with Bills

  07/14/2026 • By RotoWire

  During an appearance Tuesday on Good Morning Football, Cook indicated that he's noticed a renewed spirit under the guidance of new head coach Joe Brady during the team's offseason, Bobby Kownack of NFL.com reports. "It's just a new energy in the building," said Cook, who led the NFL last regular season with 1,621 rushing yards. "It's gonna always be like that, I feel like, when you have a new head coach coming in, a young one, too, at that. Joe [is] a young head coach coming in, his first year being a head coach. He's got new energy, that's how I feel like." While Cook didn't participate in any of the Bills' voluntary work open to the media earlier this offseason, he did participate in the team's mandatory minicamp and is poised to be full-go for training camp. Looking ahead, the 2022 second-rounder remains entrenched as the lead option in a Buffalo backfield that returns last year's top backups Ray Davis and Ty Johnson. In that context, Cook -- who logged 309 carries in 17 regular-season games in 2025 -- should continue to maintain steady volume and reliable fantasy lineup utility this coming season.

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• Bills' James Cook: Not present for start of OTAs

  05/21/2026 • By RotoWire

  Cook was not present for the start of OTAs on Tuesday, Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com reports. While OTAs are quote unquote "voluntary," it's a notable absence, as the rest of Buffalo's star players and veteran leaders were in attendance for new coach Joe Brady's first open practice session. There's been no reason given for Cook's absence, and he just signed a new four-year, $46 million contract last summer after "holding in" at training camp. Cook, however, has already fallen behind the top of the running back market after De'Von Achane, Kenneth Walker, Breece Hall and Travis Etienne all received bigger deals this offseason. It's possible Cook is looking at that and pushing for more money after leading the league in rushing with 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns on a career-high 309 carries last regular season. With Cook idle to begin OTAs, Frank Gore and Ray Davis have seen more reps with the first-team offense, according to Parrino.

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