Who Should I Start? James Cook or Chase Brown

Friday, September 5, 1:23 PM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he unexpectedly tied for the NFL lead with 16 rushing touchdowns after tallying just two in the previous season. He also surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground for the second year in a row, but fantasy managers may have to temper expectations in Week 1. Cook is set to battle the Baltimore Ravens, who boasted the league's top-ranked run defense last season, when the teams kick off Sunday. The Ravens held opposing rushers to a paltry 3.6 yards per carry - a far cry from Cook's 4.9 YPC. Cook faced the Ravens twice in 2024 and combined for 106 yards on 26 carries, four catches for another 24 yards, and zero scores. The explosive 25-year-old enters 2025 as a high-end RB2 in fantasy, but with the Ravens standing in his way, Cook may not storm out of the gates in the opener.

Saturday, September 6, 11:28 AM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown had a slow start to the 2024 campaign, at least in the first three games. However, after establishing himself as the clear No. 1 option on the depth chart, there was no looking back. He would go on to finish the year by finding the end zone 11 times while barely missing the 1,000-yard rushing mark. The Bengals will begin the year with a Week 1 matchup versus the Cleveland Browns. Brown didn't play his best in two meetings with the Browns in 2024, combining for 33 carries for 135 yards and only 27 yards off five grabs. To be fair, he had trouble from a consistency standpoint against all of the teams in the AFC North. Although that makes him a risker DFS option, he's still a must-start in season-long fantasy setups.