Who Should I Start? James Cook or Ashton Jeanty

Friday, February 13, 7:31 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III solidified himself as one of the NFL's best running backs in 2025, racking up 1,621 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 309 carries across 17 games. The 26-year-old also impacted the game as a receiver, hauling in 33 receptions for 291 yards and two scores. Cook III has always been an efficient player, but he was able to reach new production heights in 2025 thanks to an increase in workload. After logging 239 touches across 16 games played in 2024, Cook III recorded 342 touches in 2025 and still averaged a highly efficient 5.6 yards per touch. Cook III signed a four-year extension with Buffalo before the start of the 2025 season, so he's locked in as the team's lead rusher for the foreseeable future. The Bills also promoted former offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach, so it seems unlikely that the team would radically shift its offensive approach going forward. Now that he's proven he can handle a significant workload, Cook III profiles as a high-end running back option for fantasy managers in dynasty formats.

Thursday, February 26, 9:27 AM

Las Vegas Raiders new head coach Klint Kubiak plans to use a committee backfield in his first year at the helm in 2026, saying that "it's important for Ashton Jeanty to have a wingman." "We definitely want to have a two-man show," Kubiak added. It's bad news for Jeanty's already declining fantasy football value after a disappointing showing in his rookie season. Kubiak split the load at RB last year with the Seattle Seahawks, too, using Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in tandem on the way to a Super Bowl championship. Jeanty, the sixth overall pick last April out of Boise State, averaged just 3.7 yards per carry for 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries in 17 regular season games in a bad Raiders offense. The 22-year-old should have a better supporting cast around him, with the team expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall, but a backfield timeshare in Vegas will surely cap Jeanty's fantasy upside going into Year 2.