Who Should I Start? Breece Hall or James Cook

Wednesday, July 24, 1:51 PM

New York Jets running back Breece Hall (lower body), who was dealing with an undisclosed lower-body issue during offseason workouts, took part in 11-on-11 drills during training camp practice on Wednesday. It's a great sign for Hall after he was held out as a precaution during OTAs and minicamp earlier this offseason. The 23-year-old former second-round pick (36th overall) in 2022 out of Iowa State tore his ACL in his first year in the NFL but nearly rushed for 1,000 yards on 223 rushing attempts in his sophomore season, adding nine total touchdowns in 17 games (16 starts). With quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) returning and with an improved offensive line in front of him, the sky is the limit for Hall in 2024 as a high-end RB1 as long as he avoids any serious injuries.

Wednesday, June 12, 4:36 PM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook dropped five passes last season, which ranked sixth among all qualified running backs. Early in offseason activities, the third-year pro out of Georgia has continued to struggle in that area, according to Bills reporter Alex Brasky. "James Cook allowed a pass to bounce off his hands, high into the air near the start of team drills at Wednesday's mandatory minicamp." Brasky wrote, "Cook encountered issues with drops last season and has done little to ramp down those concerns during offseason activities." While this is somewhat of a concern, it can often be overplayed when analyzing a player's fantasy football value. After catching 44 passes for 445 yards and ranking second among running backs in yards per reception, the team is unlikely to pull back his receiving workload. That said, rookie fourth-rounder Ray Davis caught 62 passes over his final two collegiate seasons in the SEC and could become a factor on third downs.