Who Should I Start? Ray Davis or Bhayshul Tuten

Saturday, August 9, 7:07 PM

With Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook staging a hold-in and unwilling to play Saturday, Ray Davis earned the start in the team's 34-25 preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants. Davis rushed for just seven yards on four attempts and caught one of two targets for another seven yards. As the Bills' emergency kicker, his most memorable highlight came on a successful extra-point attempt in the second quarter. The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Davis joined the Bills as a fourth-round pick from Kentucky in 2024 and was a capable reserve behind Cook as a rookie. Davis appeared in all 17 of the Bills' regular-season games and totaled 442 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 113 rushing attempts. He also caught three TDs and pulled in 17 of his 19 targets for 189 yards. With third-down back Ty Johnson also in the fold, Davis took around 25% of offensive snaps last season. That should be the case again in 2025, but Davis might have an expanded role early on if Cook is unavailable. While Cook seems unlikely to sit out into Week 1 over dissatisfaction with his contract, Davis figures to be the main beneficiary if he does. Cook missed one game last season, a 23-20 win over the New York Jets in Week 6, and Davis accrued 152 total yards (97 rushing, 55 receiving) on 23 touches as Buffalo's go-to back.

Sunday, August 24, 4:06 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten finished his preseason with 16 carries for 59 yards and two touchdowns. The fourth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, who missed some training camp time with a hamstring injury, has shown flashes of his dual-threat ability. Tuten, who had 1,159 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground and 23 catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns in his final year at Virginia Tech, will start the season behind Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby. However, he is a late-round stash with massive upside if either of the starters gets hurt. He could carve out a significant pass-catching role for himself throughout the season.