Who Should I Start? Jameson Williams or James Cook

Saturday, January 3, 3:14 PM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams put up a disappointing 37 yards in a Week 17 loss to the Vikings, but any managers who survived that outing and are still playing for a Week 18 championship can start him with confidence in another divisional matchup with the Bears. Chicago has allowed more fantasy points above expectation to the receiver position than every team except the Cowboys, and Williams could find himself as the focal point of the Lions' passing offense on Sunday. Amon-Ra St. Brown (knee, ankle) was clearly banged up near the end of that loss in Minnesota, and he carries a questionable tag into the season finale. With nothing left to play for, it would come as no surprise for Detroit to rest its two-time All-Pro, clearing a path for Williams to get back on track after two subpar performances. Williams is RotoBaller's WR9 for the week.

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.