Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or James Cook

Wednesday, July 3, 6:07 PM

The Philadelphia Eagles have a new offensive coordinator this year in Kellen Moore and will have a new bell-cow running back in Saquon Barkley. It's a big weapon to add to an offense that already includes one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league in Jalen Hurts. The Eagles could utilize their tight ends more in 2024 in Moore's scheme as well. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has talked to scouts that believe Barkley could see a similar boost that Christian McCaffrey had when he went to the San Francisco 49ers. Barkley is heading to a Philadelphia offense that has never had this kind of supporting cast around him. Injuries have been a concern with the 27-year-old, but if he stays healthy in his first year with the Eagles, Barkley's upside at the RB position is as high as any in the league as a strong RB1 target.

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.