Who Should I Start? James Cook or Jaleel McLaughlin

Tuesday, May 27, 1:04 PM

NFL Network' Cameron Wolfe reports that every Buffalo Bills player is present for organized team activities on Tuesday except for running back James Cook, who is seeking a new long-term contract extension. We're still in the voluntary portion of the offseason schedule, so Cook won't be fined, but the 25-year-old wants the team to reward him with an extension as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal. The next change for Cook to show up will be for mandatory minicamp, which runs from June 10-12. It's unclear if Cook plans on holding out into training camp this summer if he doesn't have a new contract by then, but if he reports and is active for Week 1 of the 2025 regular season, he'll be Buffalo's clear RB1 after his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season and a league-high 16 rushing TDs in 2024. Fantasy managers should expect TD regression for the two-time Pro Bowler.

Monday, January 13, 10:50 AM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was a complete non-factor in the team's 31-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on wild-card weekend. Like most of the season, Denver's backfield was stuck in the mud and couldn't get anything going to control the game, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading the team with 43 rushing yards on four carries. McLaughlin, who had been the leader of a committee backfield late in the season, had only two rushing attempts for minus-two yards while catching his only target for no gain. It was a dismal end to the 24-year-old's second season in the NFL. He finished with 113 carries for 496 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and only one rushing touchdown in 16 regular-season games while adding 24 catches for 76 yards and two more TDs through the air. Denver will surely look to upgrade their backfield in the offseason to give more help to Nix in 2025.