Who Should I Start? Khalil Shakir or James Cook

Wednesday, September 3, 5:09 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (ankle), who suffered a high-ankle sprain in practice a month ago, was listed as a full participant in practice on Wednesday on the team's initial injury report, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Head coach Sean McDermott initially said that Shakir would be limited in the first practice of the week, so this is a pleasant surprise for those getting ready to start the 25-year-old in the Week 1 showdown on Sunday night versus the Baltimore Ravens. As long as he does not suffer a setback later this week, Shakir should be pretty close to 100 percent for the season opener as the starting slot receiver. Shakir had his best season in his third year in the NFL in 2024 with 76 catches, 821 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games (nine starts), but that might be his ceiling in a Bills offense that likes to spread the ball around.

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.