Who Should I Start? D'Andre Swift or James Cook

Wednesday, January 7, 9:57 AM

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift was one of fantasy football's best running back picks in the mid rounds, as he finished the 2025 season as the RB15, and rushed for 1,087 yards on 223 attempts (4.87 YPC) and added 34 receptions for 299 yards in the receiving game as well. As the season progressed, the Rutgers rookie running back, Kyle Monangai, started to make an impact, and the Bears' backfield became more of a running-back-by-committee approach, leaving Swift managers frustrated. However, in his somewhat limited workload down the stretch, Swift still was averaging closer to 60 percent of the snaps to Monangai's 40, and is still the clear lead back averaging 14.4 fantasy points per game on the season, and with the Bears in their first playoff game with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, and first time head coach Ben Johnson, it's likely they will make an emphasis to try and run the ball effectively against a depleted Packers defense who last Micah Parson's (knee) for the season. The Bears are underdogs (+1) in this contest, but have shown all season that they can win close games. Although Swift is not one of the top running back options to own in fantasy payoff leagues, he is a solid option and would only become more valuable if the Bears can continue to advance in the playoffs.

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.