Who Should I Start? Josh Jacobs or James Cook

Wednesday, July 10, 4:37 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has hauled in 197 receptions since entering the NFL in 2019, and heading into his first year with Matt LaFleur, he wants to be heavily targeted in the passing game. "I was talking to (LaFleur) about that actually and I was telling him I feel like I want to catch it a little bit more," Jacobs said. "I feel like I didn't get to show that as much as I would have liked. So, that's definitely something in the conversations we had." The former first-round pick has two 50-plus catch seasons on his resume, and he was a solid receiver out of the backfield in college, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets his wish. Former Packers running back Aaron Jones earned 311 targets in five seasons with LaFleur, the fifth-most among all ball carriers during that span. Jacobs is being drafted as a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2, which could prove to be a discount in PPR formats.

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.