Who Should I Start? James Cook III or Chase Brown


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
16.0 80.4 0.6 1.9 16.3 0.1

James Cook III News

James Cook III Remains a High-End Running Back Option Entering 2026

Wednesday, July 22, 9:24 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III earned second-team All-Pro honors for his work in 2025, when he recorded 1,912 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns on 342 touches across 17 games. The 26-year-old has always been an uber-efficient rusher, and he saw his workload spike from 14.9 touches per game in 2024 to 20.1 touches per game in 2025. The Bills promoted former offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach ahead of the 2026 season and did not make any notable additions to their running back room, so there's little reason to think that Cook III's role in the team's offense will change. By measure of per-game PPR scoring, Cook III has been a solid RB1 in back-to-back seasons. Entering 2026, he remains a high-end running back option for fantasy managers in redraft leagues.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.3 56.7 0.4 3.6 24.4 0.2

Chase Brown News

Chase Brown Remains a Solid RB1 for 2026

Tuesday, July 21, 10:20 AM

The Cincinnati Bengals will rely on running back Chase Brown as the lead back in 2026, as he enters his third season. The Bengals decided not to invest heavily in running backs once again this offseason. After a slow start in 2025, Brown managed to finish the season as the RB7 overall in PPR scoring. From Week 8 on, he managed to score 15-plus fantasy points in every game and was the RB4 in that stretch. With Joe Burrow fully healthy, the team hopes to get back to producing as one of the NFL's best offenses. However, Brown is still being drafted as a back-end RB1 in most fantasy drafts despite the Cincinnati offense trending back up. The 26-year-old has a chance to be the lead back in the best potential offense in the NFL, and it could boost him to land as a top-5 running back this season.


James Cook III vs. Chase Brown

Still trying to decide between Cook III and Brown? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that James Cook III is projected to score 16.0 points this week while Chase Brown is projected to score 15.3 points.