Who Should I Start? James Cook or Zach Charbonnet

Wednesday, June 12, 4:36 PM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook dropped five passes last season, which ranked sixth among all qualified running backs. Early in offseason activities, the third-year pro out of Georgia has continued to struggle in that area, according to Bills reporter Alex Brasky. "James Cook allowed a pass to bounce off his hands, high into the air near the start of team drills at Wednesday's mandatory minicamp." Brasky wrote, "Cook encountered issues with drops last season and has done little to ramp down those concerns during offseason activities." While this is somewhat of a concern, it can often be overplayed when analyzing a player's fantasy football value. After catching 44 passes for 445 yards and ranking second among running backs in yards per reception, the team is unlikely to pull back his receiving workload. That said, rookie fourth-rounder Ray Davis caught 62 passes over his final two collegiate seasons in the SEC and could become a factor on third downs.

Monday, January 8, 4:53 AM

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet had his most productive game in weeks in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. The rookie took five rushing attempts 32 yards and caught both of his targets for 28 receiving yards. His receptions late in the fourth quarter advanced the Seahawks into Cardinals' territory, setting up Geno Smith's 34-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett. The selection of Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 draft sparked a debate that he might contend for the starting role but he was firmly in the backseat behind second-year running back Kenneth Walker III. It will be hard to predict what the depth chart will look like in 2024, but Charbonnet can be expected to hang on to his role as the passing down back at the least. Charbonnet's first season ends with 462 rushing yards and one touchdown gained on 108 carries and 209 receiving yards on 33 catches.