Who Should I Start? James Cook or Quinn Ewers

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.

Sunday, January 4, 7:35 PM

Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers (knee) exited after taking a sack during the fourth quarter of Sunday's Week 18 loss against the New England Patriots. He was listed as questionable but ultimately did not return in the final minutes of the contest. Zach Wilson played the final few offensive snaps for Miami. Ewers finished the final game of the season with 137 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four sacks. The rookie took over for Tua Tagovailoa in Week 16 and seemed to play well enough over the final few weeks to remain in competition for the backup job ahead of the 2026 season. However, Miami's starting quarterback plans for next year remain up in the air, as Tagovailoa is expected to be traded or released. Ewers is unlikely to be in the mix for the starting job, so he's not an appealing option in 2026 redraft leagues.