Who Should I Start? James Cook or Tank Bigsby

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 8, 12:33 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby showcased his talents in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders with the team resting starter Saquon Barkley. Bigsby played a season-high 59% of the offensive snaps and had 16 rushing attempts for 75 yards and a touchdown, also adding one catch for a 31-yard gain. Four of the 24-year-old's carries went for at least eight yards to finish with a 4.7 yard-per-carry average. It was a nice showing for the former third-rounder, but he'll go back to being Barkley's backup for Sunday's Wild-Card matchup versus the visiting San Franciscoso 49ers. In his 17 total games with Philly and the Jacksonville Jaguars during the regular season, Bigsby had 63 carries for 356 yards and two touchdowns while adding three catches for 32 yards. With a minor role likely coming against San Fran, Bigsby won't be a realistic starting option for playoff lineups.