Who Should I Start? Courtland Sutton or James Cook

Wednesday, January 14, 2:51 PM

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton saw double-digit targets in four straight games before a Week 18 win over the Chargers that saw many of the team's starters pulled early. Coming off an extended rest, Sutton hopes to pick things up where he left off, after finishing with at least 62 receiving yards in four of five games from Weeks 13 to 17, and scoring three times in that span. Sutton finished the year with his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, and some of his biggest games came against teams that were part of this year's playoff field. The Broncos open their playoff slate against a Bills team that saw Parker Washington get loose for over 100 yards and a score in a Wild Card matchup that came down to the final drive. While Buffalo's defense has been more susceptible on the ground than through the air this season, Sutton is RotoBaller's WR4 for the week and a solid play in fantasy playoff leagues.

Tuesday, January 13, 7:00 PM

After finishing the regular season with an NFL-best 1,621 rushing yards, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook had an underwhelming outing in his first game of the postseason. The 26-year-old was held to just 46 rushing yards on 15 carries and five receiving yards on two catches by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cook's regular-season track record should afford him the benefit of the doubt from fantasy managers. However, he will face another very difficult run defense in the Divisional round when Buffalo travels to Denver to take on the Broncos. The Broncos defense finished the regular season ranked third in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (3.9) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns allowed (11). Additionally, Buffalo's already depleted pass-catching corps lost another two wide receivers in Gabe Davis (knee) and Tyrell Shavers (knee), who both suffered season-ending knee injuries in the Wild Card round. As a result, Denver could be even more geared up to stop Cook and take away the run. Cook remains a high-end running back option, but fantasy managers may want to downgrade expectations heading into the Divisional round.