Who Should I Start? Derrick Henry or James Cook

Tuesday, April 1, 10:50 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that he'd like the team to extend running back Derrick Henry, who is heading into the last year of his current deal in 2025. It comes after Henry signed a two-year, $16 million deal last offseason and said in February that he'd like to finish his career in Baltimore. It makes sense for both sides after King Henry didn't show any signs of slowing down in 2024 with 1,921 rushing yards and a league-high 16 rushing touchdowns on 325 carries while adding 19 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns through the air in 17 regular-season starts. It was good enough to make him the RB3 in half-PPR scoring, behind only Jahmyr Gibbs and Saquon Barkley. Father Time is undefeated, but Henry is a different beast and pairs extremely well with quarterback Lamar Jackson's rushing ability. Henry is still much more attractive in standard-scoring fantasy leagues, but either way, he's a high-end RB1.

Thursday, May 8, 7:58 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook skipped the initial portion of the team's voluntary offseason workout program, but general manager Brandon Beane expects him to be ready for football when the time comes. Cook's holdout stems from contract talks, which are ongoing between the running back and team executives. "I know we've had people in the building that he's been talking with, and I have no doubt when it's time to play football, he'll be ready to roll," Beane said. Although an exact timeline is unclear, Cook could return as soon as June 10, when the Bills begin their mandatory minicamp for veteran players. Per the terms of the CBA, any player who misses all three days of mandatory minicamp will be hit with fines exceeding $100,000 total. That amount could be a drop in the bucket compared to Cook's next contract, but it's still a significant price to pay for missing three days of practice. Extending Cook would be in the Bills' best interest after he totaled 1,267 scrimmage yards and a career-high 18 touchdowns last season.