Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or James Cook

Tuesday, August 19, 6:23 PM

The Athletic's Zac Jackson lists wide receiver Diontae Johnson on the "wrong side of the bubble" to make the Cleveland Browns' 53-man roster heading into the regular season. Jackson goes on to explain that Johnson "has been outplayed in camp." The addition of undrafted rookie wideout Isaiah Bond doesn't help Johnson's chances of making the roster, either. The 29-year-old Johnson had a 1,000-yard season in 2021 with the Pittsburgh Steelers but has regressed each year since. In 2024, the former third-rounder played for the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans and combined for just 33 catches, 375 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games (eight starts). Getting cut from a Browns roster with shaky depth at the receiver position would pretty much be rock bottom for Johnson.

Wednesday, August 13, 9:13 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is officially back in the fold after signing a four-year contract extension with his team on Wednesday. Soon after the signing was announced, Buffalo GM Brandon Beane told reporters that he views Cook as a three-down back. Beane said, "We do feel he can take more, but we like to use our three options and keep him fresh." Cook often lost passing-down work to Ty Johnson last season and only played on 48% of Buffalo's offensive snaps. It is unlikely that Buffalo installs Cook as their workhorse, as their running game was effective in 2024, but it would be a positive for fantasy managers if the Bills shifted some of the targets in the passing game onto Cook's plate. Either way, he sets up as a solid RB2 in fantasy with an RB1 ceiling if he starts catching more passes.