Who Should I Start? Travis Etienne Jr. or James Cook III

Tuesday, October 13, 1:34 PM

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady said on Tuesday that star running back James Cook III could be in danger of losing carries in the backfield if his ball-security issues continue, according to Bills insider Alex Brasky. "We're putting the ball in harm's way. It's negating all the positive. I have confidence in him. At some point there has to be consequences. It's gotta improve or the carries are gonna decrease," Brady said. The 27-year-old had a big night in the overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night in Week 5, carrying the ball 10 times for 121 yards and a touchdown while adding one catch for seven yards, but he put the ball on the ground twice, losing one in overtime that luckily did not cost the Bills the game. Cook continued to pick up chunk gains on the ground for Buffalo against an underperforming Rams defense, and he is already up to five rushing TDs through five games after scoring 28 times on the ground in the last two years. He has three straight 1,000-yard seasons and already had reached the 100-yard mark in three of five games in 2026. Cook is a must-start RB1 in fantasy, but Ty Johnson and Ray Davis could steal more work away if the fumbles continue to happen.