Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or James Cook

Saturday, April 11, 5:52 AM

Following a 2024 season in which he topped 2,000 rushing yards and garnered MVP buzz for much of the year, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley saw his yardage and touchdown numbers nearly cut in half in his second season with the team. Barkley ended 2025 as fantasy's RB14, his lowest finish in any season in which he played at least 15 games, and his first time finishing outside the top six under such circumstances. Injuries to the Eagles' offensive line and turmoil between quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver AJ Brown left the offense as a whole looking out of sorts for much of the season, and Barkley's 378 total touches from the previous season rarely went unmentioned when discussing the struggles of a now 29-year-old running back with a history of durability concerns. The silver lining is that Barkley is a true athletic outlier in every sense of the word. Even at his worst, he still topped 1,400 yards from scrimmage while scoring nine touchdowns. The Eagles' offensive line is another year older, but when healthy, they remain among the top units in the league, and they could benefit from an increase in the zone-blocking schemes that new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is expected to bring from the McVay coaching tree. Additionally, loudening rumors have suggested that the Eagles are prepared to ship out AJ Brown after June 1st, with the recent additions made to their receiver room doing little to dissuade the notion. Barkley will be 30 by Super Bowl LXI, but for contending dynasty managers, he still has the ability to far outperform his current RB10 dynasty ranking.