Who Should I Start? James Cook or Chase Brown

Tuesday, January 13, 7:00 PM

After finishing the regular season with an NFL-best 1,621 rushing yards, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook had an underwhelming outing in his first game of the postseason. The 26-year-old was held to just 46 rushing yards on 15 carries and five receiving yards on two catches by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cook's regular-season track record should afford him the benefit of the doubt from fantasy managers. However, he will face another very difficult run defense in the Divisional round when Buffalo travels to Denver to take on the Broncos. The Broncos defense finished the regular season ranked third in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (3.9) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns allowed (11). Additionally, Buffalo's already depleted pass-catching corps lost another two wide receivers in Gabe Davis (knee) and Tyrell Shavers (knee), who both suffered season-ending knee injuries in the Wild Card round. As a result, Denver could be even more geared up to stop Cook and take away the run. Cook remains a high-end running back option, but fantasy managers may want to downgrade expectations heading into the Divisional round.

Thursday, January 29, 3:17 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown said his representation is in talks with the team about a new long-term contract extension, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. Brown, 25, is eligible for an extension after completing his third year in the NFL in 2025. "I would love to do something and be a part of this team," Brown said. "I don't want to go anywhere else." The 25-year-old finished 11th in the NFL last year with a team-high 1,456 scrimmage yards. He was also sixth among all RBs with 437 receiving yards, and he had his first 1,000-rushing campaign (1,019 yards). Given all of the other financial commitments to key players on the offensive side of the ball in Cincy, and the fact that the Bengals' defense needs a lot of help, it remains to be seen if the Bengals will extend Brown going into the final year of his deal. Regardless of his contract going into the 2026 season, Brown should at least be viewed as a low-end RB1 target as the team's No. 1 backfield option in a high-scoring offense.