Who Should I Start? James Cook or Roschon Johnson

Thursday, May 8, 7:58 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook skipped the initial portion of the team's voluntary offseason workout program, but general manager Brandon Beane expects him to be ready for football when the time comes. Cook's holdout stems from contract talks, which are ongoing between the running back and team executives. "I know we've had people in the building that he's been talking with, and I have no doubt when it's time to play football, he'll be ready to roll," Beane said. Although an exact timeline is unclear, Cook could return as soon as June 10, when the Bills begin their mandatory minicamp for veteran players. Per the terms of the CBA, any player who misses all three days of mandatory minicamp will be hit with fines exceeding $100,000 total. That amount could be a drop in the bucket compared to Cook's next contract, but it's still a significant price to pay for missing three days of practice. Extending Cook would be in the Bills' best interest after he totaled 1,267 scrimmage yards and a career-high 18 touchdowns last season.

Saturday, January 4, 9:13 AM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson remains the No. 2 option on the depth chart, keeping him off the fantasy radar in most leagues ahead of his Week 18 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. There's always a chance the eliminated Bears could give increased snaps to some of their younger players, like Johnson, while reducing the workload for veterans such as running back D'Andre Swift. However, the Bears have stayed pretty quiet about their personnel decisions, and as of Saturday, there's no indication that Johnson's workload will change for the regular-season finale. He has just five carries for eight yards over his last two games, and prior to that, he missed nearly three full contests. As a result, he hasn't caught a pass nor found the end zone since Week 12 against Minnesota. This week, he and Swift will take on a Packers run defense that has allowed the 15th-fewest fantasy points to running backs in 2024, but the third-most catches and receiving yards. Johnson ranks as an RB4 in fantasy football and should continue to be benched in most leagues.