Who Should I Start? James Cook or Trey Benson

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, March 3, 11:05 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has high hopes for running back Trey Benson as he heads into his second NFL season in 2025. James Conner re-signed with the Cardinals after posting a career-high 1,094 rushing yards in 16 starts in 2024, but Benson is expected to take on a bigger role and be more productive in Year 2. "If (Trey) takes the necessary jump from Year 1 to Year 2, I think we have two starting backs," Gannon said. "That's how I view those guys. You see certain teams out there with two '1s,' I would say, and I think we should have two '1s' next year." The 22-year-old Benson finished with only 291 rushing yards on 63 carries in his rookie season, but he was playing at his best when he injured his ankle late in the year. Benson's fantasy ceiling will be limited as long as Conner stays healthy in 2025, but fantasy managers that select Conner should look to handcuff him with Benson.