Who Should I Start? James Cook or Zach Charbonnet

Wednesday, August 13, 9:13 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is officially back in the fold after signing a four-year contract extension with his team on Wednesday. Soon after the signing was announced, Buffalo GM Brandon Beane told reporters that he views Cook as a three-down back. Beane said, "We do feel he can take more, but we like to use our three options and keep him fresh." Cook often lost passing-down work to Ty Johnson last season and only played on 48% of Buffalo's offensive snaps. It is unlikely that Buffalo installs Cook as their workhorse, as their running game was effective in 2024, but it would be a positive for fantasy managers if the Bills shifted some of the targets in the passing game onto Cook's plate. Either way, he sets up as a solid RB2 in fantasy with an RB1 ceiling if he starts catching more passes.

Wednesday, August 20, 1:21 PM

ESPN's Brady Henderson writes that all indications are that Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet is "going to have a significant role in the Seahawks' backfield this season." Head coach Mike Macdonald said the team needs to preserve Kenneth Walker III, but they also need to "get him more work than he's gotten in order to be ready to play in a new offense." The Seahawks have not said that the RB1 role is up for grabs this year, but Walker continues to battle lower-body injuries, and Charbonnet continues to impress. Henderson thinks that suggests the backfield "could be more of a timeshare than a typical starter-backup arrangement." Walker has struggled to stay on the field, while Charbonnet hasn't missed a day. Due to durability issues, Walker has become a risky RB2 in fantasy, while is an intriguing RB3/flex upside pick in upcoming fantasy drafts.