Who Should I Start? Ray Davis or Dylan Sampson

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.

Friday, September 12, 9:21 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson will head on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. Sampson turned in an excellent pro debut in a one-point loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, catching all eight of his targets for 64 yards. He also dominated the backfield work, earning 12 carries to starter Jerome Ford's six in the contest. Sampson appears to be locked into the pass-catching role in the Cleveland offense, a spot that should be productive against a Ravens defense that allowed James Cook to catch all five of his targets for 58 yards in Week 1. Sampson sets up as a high-end RB3/flex option with upside heading into fantasy contests in Week 2.