Who Should I Start? James Cook or Kaleb Johnson

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.

Friday, December 19, 11:21 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson continues to be one of the most disappointing rookies from the 2025 draft class. The 22-year-old Iowa product played a marginal role once again last week, amassing two carries for four rushing yards on a 3% snap share in the Steelers' win over the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. In total this year, he has 28 carries, 69 rushing yards, one catch, and nine receiving yards. He hasn't earned more than six touches in a single game, and he has played more than 12% of the offensive snaps in just two contests. It's not like Johnson has been relegated to special teams, either. He has just 11 special teams snaps this year and hasn't handled a single kick or punt return since a Week 2 blunder in the end zone that directly resulted in an opponent touchdown. Johnson and his fantasy managers are certainly ready to close the book on the 2025 season and turn the page to next year. With Kenneth Gainwell set to hit free agency in March, Johnson could have a chance to carve out a fantasy-relevant role behind Jaylen Warren in 2026.