Who Should I Start? Tutu Atwell or James Cook

Sunday, January 25, 5:22 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's NFC Championship. Atwell is a healthy scratch for the second game in a row after he did not appear on the Rams' injury report all week long. The 26-year-old had an underwhelming regular season and also dealt with a six-week injury absence. He finished the year with six catches, 192 yards, and one touchdown, and he was not targeted in the Rams' Wild Card win over Carolina. In his absence last week, Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield both stepped up with two catches apiece. With Atwell inactive again, we expect Whittington and Mumpfield to continue to handle increased involvement behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Tuesday, January 13, 7:00 PM

After finishing the regular season with an NFL-best 1,621 rushing yards, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook had an underwhelming outing in his first game of the postseason. The 26-year-old was held to just 46 rushing yards on 15 carries and five receiving yards on two catches by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cook's regular-season track record should afford him the benefit of the doubt from fantasy managers. However, he will face another very difficult run defense in the Divisional round when Buffalo travels to Denver to take on the Broncos. The Broncos defense finished the regular season ranked third in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (3.9) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns allowed (11). Additionally, Buffalo's already depleted pass-catching corps lost another two wide receivers in Gabe Davis (knee) and Tyrell Shavers (knee), who both suffered season-ending knee injuries in the Wild Card round. As a result, Denver could be even more geared up to stop Cook and take away the run. Cook remains a high-end running back option, but fantasy managers may want to downgrade expectations heading into the Divisional round.