Who Should I Start? Derrick Henry or James Cook

Friday, December 26, 10:20 AM

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has faced some tough times this season in regard to ball security and questionable coaching decisions. While he registered his fourth fumble of the year last week against the New England Patriots, he still accrued 128 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Tyler Huntley is likely to be under center in Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers, which means Henry should see some more carries. In Weeks 6 and 8, Henry received a combined 45 carries with Huntley as the starter. The Packers, however, are the eighth-toughest team in the league against the position over the last four weeks. They only allow 19.38 fantasy points per game to opposing backfields, but Henry was able to run all over the third-ranked Patriots defense, so he still projects as the RB11 in RotoBaller's rankings.

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.