James Cook

Buffalo Bills
Running Back
Buffalo Bills
Running Back
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

James Cook News

Outplays Singletary in Week 18 win

Cook rushed nine times for 45 yards and caught both of his targets for six yards in Sunday's 35-23 win over the Patriots.

Analysis: Cook was far more effective than Devin Singletary, who mustered only 32 yards on eight touches and lost a fumble. After being used sparingly to start the season, the rookie second-round pick out of Georgia started to take on a larger share of Buffalo's backfield touches down the stretch. Cook and Singletary will likely continue to split carries in the wild-card round against the Dolphins.

Jan 8, 2023 1:19 PM EST


Career high in Christmas Eve win

Cook rushed 11 times for 99 yards and a touchdown and caught one of two targets for nine yards in Buffalo's win over Chicago on Saturday.

Analysis: The 99 rushing yards and the 108 scrimmage yards are career highs for the rookie, who continues to play a nice Robin role to Devin Singletary's Batman. Cook has gone over 100 yards from scrimmage or scored a TD in three of the past four games, giving him solid value as far as No. 2 running backs go. He'll continue to see regular touches, as newcomer Nyheim Hines barely gets looks in the regular game plan.

Dec 26, 2022 10:32 PM EST



Finds end zone in key win

Cook carried five times for 34 yards and caught two of three targets for five yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 32-29 win over the Dolphins.

Analysis: The TD catch was the first of Cook's NFL career, as he continues to have a decent-sized role behind starter Devin Singletary in a high-powered offense. While Cook has seen only nine carries over the past two games, he has now put up at least eight fantasy points in three of the past five contests, not bad production for a backup running back. The real home run would be if the Bills -- currently the top seed in the AFC -- get to rest some starters for the final game of the season and inexperienced players like Cook get a heavy workload.

Dec 20, 2022 8:52 PM EST


Finds end zone in key win

Cook carried five times for 34 yards and caught two of three targets for five yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 32-29 win over the Dolphins.

Analysis: The TD catch was the first of Cook's NFL career, as he continues to have a decent-sized role behind starter Devin Singletary in a high-powered offense. While Cook has seen only nine carries over the past two games, he has now put up at least eight fantasy points in three of the past five contests, not bad production for a backup running back. The real home run would be if the Bills -- currently the top seed in the AFC -- get to rest some starters for the final game of the season and inexperienced players like Cook get a heavy workload.

Dec 19, 2022 10:51 PM EST


Struggles to find open running room

Cook carried four times for six yards and added a nine-yard reception in Sunday's 20-12 win over the Jets.

Analysis: Though he and starter Devin Singletary worked in a relatively even timeshare for the second week in a row, Cook wasn't able to build on his breakthrough Week 13 outing against the Patriots, during which the rookie totaled 105 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches. Singletary was the more productive of the two backs versus the Jets (eight carries for 39 yards, one catch for four yards), but not so much so that it will guarantee him the majority of the snaps moving forward. Even if Cook sees his 41 percent snap share from Week 14 tail off a bit in another divisional game this Sunday against the Dolphins, he should at least remain ahead of trade-deadline pickup Nyheim Hines in the Bills' backfield pecking order.

Dec 14, 2022 1:58 PM EST



Career-best game Thursday

Cook rushed 14 times for 64 yards and secured all six targets for 41 yards in the Bills' 24-10 win over the Patriots on Thursday night.

Analysis: Cook ended up as the surprise leader in rush attempts and rushing yardage on the night for the Bills while also checking in second in receptions. The rookie outpaced Devin Singletary by one carry and 13 rushing yards, and Cook also drew four more targets than his backfield mate, who didn't bring in either of his two looks. Whether Thursday night's usage is a harbinger of things to come down the stretch remains to be seen, but it's worth noting Cook does now have double-digit rush attempts in two of his last three games heading into a Week 14 home divisional showdown against the Jets a week from Sunday.

Dec 1, 2022 8:40 PM EST


Two carries, two catches in Week 12

Cook rushed twice for four yards and caught two of five targets for 14 yards in Thursday's 28-25 win over Detroit.

Analysis: Devin Singletary dominated touches in Buffalo's backfield with 80 scrimmage yards on 14 carries and one catch, but Cook at least maintained the No. 2 role over Nyheim Hines, who touched the ball only once on offense. Barring an injury to Singletary, Cook will have a hard time carving out a meaningful role as a distant third rushing option in a Buffalo offense that relies primarily on Josh Allen's arms and legs.

Nov 25, 2022 10:10 AM EST


Making his mark

Cook rushed 11 times for 86 yards in Buffalo's win over over the Browns on Sunday. He was targeted twice but did not catch a pass.

Analysis: This was not a case of garbage-time yards for the rookie backup to Devin Singletary, as the contest was closely contested for much of the afternoon, and Cook was used as an effective change-up to Singletary. The former showed his speed on a few of the runs and co-led the Bills in rushing yardage. While Singletary is the clear-cut No. 1 and seems to be picking up steam himself, Cook is clearly ahead of trade deadline acquisition Nyheim Hines, who's been used primarily in the return game and saw one carry for minus-8 yards Sunday. With the Bills starting to rely more on the run the last couple of games, Cook could be worth a look in deeper leagues. In keeper formats, he should already be on somebody's roster.

Nov 21, 2022 9:33 AM EST


Keeps No. 2 role in Week 9

Cook took four carries for 15 yards and gathered in two of four targets for 18 yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss at the Jets.

Analysis: Despite the addition of Nyheim Hines from the Colts prior to last week's trade deadline, Cook remained the No. 2 running back in terms of usage Week 9, at least for one game. Devin Singletary paced the Bills backfield with 12 touches on a 74 percent snap share, Cook had six touches while playing 23 percent of the plays, and Hines didn't have a rush and couldn't haul in his only target on four offensive snaps. The script may flip as Hines grows more accustomed to the playbook, but for the time being Cook may have retained some utility in what typically is a high-powered offense.

Nov 8, 2022 12:32 PM EST


Likely to sit third on depth chart

Cook is expected to head into the Bills' Week 9 game against the Jets as the team's third running back after Buffalo acquired Nyheim Hines from Indianapolis on Tuesday, Michael Giardi of NFL Network reports.

Analysis: Fresh off carrying five times for 35 yards while adding a 41-yard reception in Sunday's win over the Packers, Cook might have seemed poised to handle a larger role in the second half of the season behind top back Devin Singletary. Instead, the Bills' decision to trade for Hines looks like it'll render Cook as little more than an insurance option, given that Hines has been one of the NFL's top pass-catching backs since entering the NFL in 2018. Singletary is averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry on the season and hasn't done anything to change his standing as the Bills' preferred option on early downs, so it'll likely take an absence from him before Cook picks up more extensive work outside of a garbage-time scenario. It's possible Cook even finds himself on the inactive list this weekend, given that the fourth running back on the roster, Taiwan Jones, is a core special-teams contributor who dresses for every game.

Nov 1, 2022 1:13 PM EST


Combines for 76 yards in win

Cook rushed five times for 35 yards and caught his lone target for 41 yards in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Packers.

Analysis: Cook stuck as the clear No. 2 back behind Devin Singletary for the second week in a row. The rookie second-round pick showed burst when he was on the field, ripping off 41 yards on an impressive catch in addition to his work as a rusher. Devin Singletary dominated the backfield touches with 15 to Cook's six, so it appears that the Bills feel more comfortable with the consistent veteran option while the team continues to rack up wins. That said, Cook is looking like a player worth stashing in the event he takes over as starter (via injury or coaching decision) later this season. For now, it's hard to recommend starting a player in fantasy with such a limited role heading into a matchup against the Jets next Sunday.

Oct 31, 2022 12:00 AM EST


Little usage as clear No. 2

Cook carried just two times for eight yards and wasn't targeted in the passing game during Sunday's win over Kansas City.

Analysis: For those in deeper leagues, Cook managers received a boost when Zack Moss was made a healthy inactive for the game, but it was too close of a contest for the team to put much on a rookie's shoulders, especially with Devin Singletary and quarterback Josh Allen capable of handling most of the load with aplomb. For the longer term, at least it looks like Cook has already moved past Moss on the depth chart, and the Bills do have an easier schedule following the team's Week 7 bye, games where Buffalo could give Cook some extra playing time if it wrests control of the action.

Oct 17, 2022 9:03 AM EST


Scores first NFL touchdown

Cool rushed four times for 31 yards and touchdown in Sunday's win over the Steelers. He was not targeted in the passing game.

Analysis: Cook saw extra time with the game being a laugher, as all four of the Bills' top rushers averaged at least seven yards per carry. And that's outside of Josh Allen's 424 passing yards. Both Cook and Zack Moss are well behind Devin Singletary in the pecking order, though Cook -- a second-round rookie -- showed some real burst on his TD run Sunday, and it'll be interesting to see how the carries shake out in the coming weeks when Singletary needs a breather.

Oct 10, 2022 4:16 PM EST


Plays two offensive snaps

Cook did not record a single rushing attempt and failed to reel in his lone target in Sunday's 23-20 win over the Ravens.

Analysis: Cook was a complete non-factor in the contest, playing on just two offensive snaps. Starter Devin Singletary is handling the majority of the team's snaps out of the backfield, leaving few opportunities for both Cook and fellow backup Zack Moss. The rookie will look to improve upon his down week as Buffalo's No. 3 running back when the Bills host the Steelers in Week 5.

Oct 5, 2022 2:32 AM EST


Gets 11 carries in mop-up duty

Cook rushed 11 times for 53 yards and failed to catch his only target in Monday's 41-7 win over the Titans.

Analysis: Cook got an extensive audition after the game got out of hand, and the rookie second-round pick looked explosive, with most of his yardage coming on a 33-yard burst to open Buffalo's final drive. For now, Cook's usage in competitive games will be limited to splitting change-of-pace duties behind Devin Singletary with Zack Moss, though this likely won't be the last blowout the Bills orchestrate in 2022.

Sep 19, 2022 8:05 PM EST


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