Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or James Cook

Friday, October 3, 12:32 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 57 yards on 22 carries during Thursday's Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams. He also caught eight of his nine targets for 82 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. The superstar running back handled 30 total touches, continuing to prove that he's the only relevant member of the Niners' backfield for the time being. His efficiency on the ground was a little underwhelming, but that didn't stop him from dominating as a pass catcher, per usual. The 29-year-old has exceeded 22.5 fantasy points (PPR) in every game this season, ranking as the overall RB1 to this point. He should be started with full confidence against the Buccaneers in Week 6.

Saturday, October 4, 5:51 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III draws a difficult matchup in Week 5 against a Patriots defense that has surrendered just 77.5 rushing yards per game, tied for second-fewest in the league. While Cook may find tough sledding between the tackles, his versatility as a receiver should keep him firmly in the RB1 mix. Last week against Baltimore, he managed only 44 yards on the ground but offset that with 58 yards through the air, showing his ability to remain productive even when the rushing lanes are clogged. In what projects to be one of Buffalo's biggest games of the season, the Bills will likely lean on Cook in multiple ways to generate offense. Fantasy managers should continue to view him as a high-end starting option in both standard and PPR formats.