Cook carried the ball 10 times for 28 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Patriots.
The Bills rested a lot of key players in Week 18 with the No. 2 seed in the AFC already locked up, but Cook merely saw his usual workload reduced as he split touches in the backfield with Ray Davis. Cook still saw enough action to score his 16th rushing TD on a one-yard plunge in the third quarter, tying him with Derrick Henry for the NFL lead, and he got just enough yardage to put him over 1,000 for the second straight season. Cook has gotten into the end zone in four straight games, a streak he'll look to continue next weekend in the wild-card round against the Broncos.
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Bills' James Cook: Scores 15th rushing TD
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Cook rushed 15 times for 53 yards and a touchdown and wasn't targeted in Sunday's 40-14 win over the Jets.
Cook's yardage plummeted after he rushed for at least 100 yards in three of the previous four games. He ran in a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter for his 15th rushing touchdown of the campaign. Cook may not get a chance to add to that total in Week 18 against the Patriots since Buffalo has locked in the No. 2 seed and could rest its starters.
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Bills' James Cook: Another excellent performance
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Cook rushed the ball 11 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Patriots. He added three receptions on three targets for 26 yards and an additional touchdown.
Cook turned the game around for Buffalo by scoring consecutive touchdowns in the second and third quarters. The first came on an explosive 46-yard scamper through the middle of the New England defense while he broke through several arm tackles. He then caught a short, four-yard touchdown to tie the game. Despite being limited to around 15 touches per matchup, Cook has eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage in three of four contests while finding the end zone a total of five times since Buffalo's Week 12 bye.
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Bills' James Cook: Scampers for snowy 65-yard TD
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Cook rushed 14 times for 107 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for 13 yards in Sunday's 35-10 win over the 49ers.
Cook outraced San Francisco's defense down the sideline for a 65-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter after watching Ray Davis cap the previous drive with a five-yard touchdown run. Buffalo's run-heavy game script helped Cook exceed 100 rushing yards for only the second time this season, as he came four yards short of his Week 8 season high against the Seahawks. Cook also raised his rushing touchdown total to 11, which is a marked improvement from his two rushing touchdowns apiece in 2022 and 2023. He'll look to continue his success against NFC West competition in Week 14 against the Rams.
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Bills' James Cook: Scoring offsets inefficiency Sunday
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Cook rushed nine times for 20 yards and two touchdowns while recording five receptions on six targets for seven yards in Sunday's 30-21 win over the Chiefs.
Cook struggled on the ground against the interior of the Chiefs' defense, as many talented backs have against the third-ranked rushing defense this season. However, the 25-year-old made an impact in the box score by finishing off a pair of lengthy offensive drives in the first half with short trips to the end zone. It was the Georgia product's worst yardage output of the season but not his worst fantasy showing. Cook has generated 751 yards from scrimmage with 11 combined touchdowns in 10 starts as the Bills enter a bye week before hosting the 49ers on Dec. 1.
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Bills' James Cook: Gets 15 touches in Week 9 win
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Cook rushed 10 times for 44 yards and caught five of six targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 30-27 win over the Dolphins.
Cook got 10 of the 17 rushing attempts among Buffalo's running backs, but backups Ray Davis and Ty Johnson were both more efficient in terms of yards per carry, and Davis had a 63-yard receiving touchdown. Cook has been feast or famine on the ground, with four games of at least 71 rushing yards and four games of 32 or fewer heading into Week 10 against the Colts. He has seven rushing touchdowns this season after scoring only four times on the ground across the 2022 and 2023 regular seasons combined.
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Bills' James Cook: Monster game Sunday
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Cook rushed 17 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns while adding 22 yards on three receptions in Sunday's 31-10 win over the Seahawks.
Cook was the star on offense in a one-sided affair Sunday, running roughshod over Seattle's porous rushing defense en route to two scores. The 24-year-old had already scored twice in a game this season, but this was his first 100-plus-yard rushing contest in 2024. Cook has now produced a combined 597 yards from scrimmage with eight total touchdowns through seven games, making him an elite fantasy tailback heading into next Sunday's tilt against Miami.
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Bills' James Cook: Limited to 32 yards
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Cook rushed the ball 12 times for 32 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-10 win over the Titans. He was not targeted.
Cook returned from a one-game absence and retook the lead-back role in Buffalo's backfield, accounting for 12 of 17 carries by running backs. His efficiency was a more significant reason for concern, as his longest gain went for 11 yards while seven of his attempts went for two yards or fewer. Even more of a problem for Cook was his lack of involvement in the passing game, as he went without both a target and a reception in a game for the first time this season.
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Bills' James Cook: Practices fully Thursday
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Cook (toe) practiced fully Thursday.
After being listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's walkthrough, Cook worked fully a day later, which sets the stage for him to reclaim his lead role in the Bills backfield Sunday against the Titans. In Cook's absence in this past Monday's 23-20 win over the Jets, Ray Davis -- who was limited by a calf injury Thursday -- carried 20 times for 97 yards and caught all three of his targets for 55 yards. If Davis is available this weekend, he'll be in line to move back to a complementary role behind Cook in an RB room that also includes Ty Johnson.
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Bills' James Cook: Participating in walk-through
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Cook (toe) will participate in Wednesday's walk-through session, but head coach Sean McDermott said Thursday's practice will provide a better barometer for the running back's health, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.
McDermott previously said Tuesday that he was optimistic about Cook being ready for Sunday's game against the Titans. Cook missed Monday's 23-20 win over the Jets, opening the door for rookie Ray Davis to take 23 touches for 152 yards while handling a 58 percent snap share.
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Bills' James Cook: Coach hoping for Week 7 return
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Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday that he's optimistic Cook (toe) will be available to play Sunday against the Titans, Matt Parrino of The Syracuse Post-Standard reports.
Though Cook was listed as questionable heading into Monday's game against the Jets, reports leading up to the contest suggested he was on track to play. However, Cook didn't make enough progress in his recovery from a toe injury and ended up on the inactive list for the first time all season, with the Bills turning to rookie Ray Davis and veteran Ty Johnson to fill the backfield in a 23-20 win. Davis (20 carries for 97 yards, three receptions for 55 yards) was impressive in his first extended NFL action to date, and his big performance could prompt the Bills to take a cautious approach with Cook during practice this week. McDermott indicated that a decision on Cook's status may not be made until closer to game day, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News.
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Bills' James Cook: Inactive versus Jets
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Cook (toe) is inactive for Monday night's game against the Jets.
After being deemed a non-participant in Thursday's practice and Friday's walkthrough, Cook logged a limited session Saturday before being listed as questionable for the contest. With Cook having been made inactive by the Bills on Monday, look for Ty Johnson and Ray Davis to lead the team's Week 6 backfield, with practice-squad elevation Frank Gore also on hand to provide depth.
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Bills' James Cook: Trending toward playing Monday
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Cook (toe) is expected to practice in limited fashion Saturday and is trending toward playing Monday against the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Schefter seems plugged into this situation given the Bills technically haven't practiced yet Saturday. Cook was a DNP for both Thursday and Friday practices, so any upgrade seems to be a solid affirmation of the aforementioned report. Expect more confirmation to arrive in the coming days, but should Cook play, both Ty Johnson and Ray Davis would likely continue to operate as a backup platoon out of the backfield.
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Bills' James Cook: Estimated as non-practice participant
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Cook (toe) was deemed a non-participant in Friday's walkthrough.
With back-to-back listed DNPs on Thursday and Friday, what (if anything) Cook is able to do Saturday could loom large in terms of his availability for Monday night's game against the Jets. Unless he practices fully, however, the running back presumably will carry a Week 6 injury designation. If Cook ends up unavailable against New York, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis would be next up for the Bills' backfield touches.
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Bills' James Cook: Only doing work on side Thursday
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Cook (foot/toe) is working on the side field at practice Thursday, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.
Cook appears destined to considered 'DNP' for a second straight day after having picked up foot and toe injuries during Buffalo's narrow Week 5 loss to Houston. The starting running back is reportedly considered 'day-to-day' entering a Monday Night Football matchup against the Jets, but he'll only have two more chances to officially participate in practice before receiving an injury designation for the Week 6 matchup. Ty Johnson and Ray Davis are next up for backfield touches for the Bills if Cook is forced to miss any time.
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Bills' James Cook: Missing practice Wednesday
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Cook won't practice Wednesday due to foot and toe injuries, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.
According to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com, Cook is banged up coming out of last week's loss to Houston and now falls into the day-to-day category ahead of Monday's game against the Jets. Look for added context regarding Cook's status to arrive no later than Thursday, when the Bills will post their first official Week 6 injury report. While Cook is sidelined for at least Wednesday's session, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis are next up for reps out of the backfield.
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Bills' James Cook: Finds pay dirt in lopsided win
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Cook rushed 11 times for 39 yards and a touchdown while catching four of five targets for 48 yards in Monday's 47-10 win over the Jaguars.
Cook finished Buffalo's opening drive with a six-yard touchdown run, which was his third rushing touchdown in the last two games after Cook had only four rushing scores in his first 34 regular-season appearances. He should have added a 28-yard receiving touchdown on a wheel route in the second quarter, but an accurate throw from Josh Allen went right through Cook's hands. Despite that miscue, Cook finished second on the team in both rushing yards (behind Allen's 44) and receiving yards (behind Khalil Shakir's 72) in the dominant win. Cook has posted at least 87 yards for scrimmage in every game this season heading into a Week 4 trip to Baltimore.
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Bills' James Cook: Three TDs in Week 2 road win
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Cook rushed 11 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns and secured his only target for a 17-yard score in the Bills' 31-10 win over the Dolphins on Thursday night.
As the three-touchdown total and the 7.1 yards per carry figure substantiates, Cook was a one-man wrecking crew on the offensive side of the ball for the Bills in the lopsided victory. The third-year back opened the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown reception to cap off Buffalo's opening possession, and he added scoring runs of one and 49 yards in the second quarter. The fact the Bills already had a two-touchdown lead by halftime allowed head coach Sean McDermott to take it easy on Cook in the second half, with rookie backup Ray Davis nearly matching him in carries (nine) by night's end. Cook has 149 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards through two games heading into a Week 3 home matchup against the Jaguars on Monday, Sept. 23.
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Bills' James Cook: Dominates first-team touches
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Cook rushed the ball six times for 25 yards in Saturday's 9-3 preseason win over the Steelers.
Cook was unsurprisingly the first Buffalo running back on the field, but he was the only player to record a rushing attempt with the first-team offense on the field. That usage wasn't quite as significant because the Bills failed to approach the goal line -- the most likely spot for Cook to lose work during the regular season -- but it's at least some indication of the gap that he has built as the Bills' lead back over Ty Johnson and Ray Davis.
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Bills' James Cook: Bottled up in preseason start
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Cook rushed four times for two yards and wasn't targeted in Saturday's 33-6 preseason loss to the Bears.
Cook played the entire first quarter alongside Josh Allen before both checked out of the game to begin the second quarter, replaced by Ray Davis and Mitch Trubisky, respectively. While Cook failed to find running room in this one, his breakout 1,122-rushing yard 2023 regular season has earned the 24-year-old running back some breathing room atop the depth chart. The Bills will travel to Pittsburgh for their next preseason game next Saturday.
