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: Strong rushing day in win
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Cook rushed 19 times for 80 yards and a touchdown and brought in one of three targets for five yards in the Bills' 30-20 win over the Colts on Sunday.
Cook worked hard for his yards Sunday, considering 20 of them came on one carry. However, that explosive play and his two-yard game-sealing touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining helped round out his fantasy day, and he now has four rushing scores in the last four games. While he surprisingly was quiet in the passing game despite the Bills being down multiple targets Sunday, Cook should remain busy as both a runner and receiver in a Week 11 home showdown against the Chiefs.
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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.
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Bills' James Cook: Likely playing Saturday
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Cook and other starters likely will play about a quarter in Saturday's preseason game against Chicago, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Coach Sean McDermott didn't mention Cook by name, but the running back will likely be out there if Josh Allen is. McDermott confirmed that Allen is scheduled to start, leading an offense in which the top skill-position weapons figure to be Cook, TE Dalton Kincaid and WRs Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. A relative lack of experience in the pass-catching corps could lead to the running backs being more emphasized, but there's some chance that benefits rookie Ray Davis and/or Ty Johnson rather than giving Cook a big uptick from last year's regular-season totals of 634 snaps (54.5 percent), 237 carries and 44 receptions.
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Bills' James Cook: Finishes loss with 82 yards
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Cook rushed 18 times for 61 yards and caught four of five targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to Kansas City.
Cook had trouble finding holes (3.4 YPC) against a tough defensive front led by the Chiefs' Chris Jones, finishing with 82 total yards and no touchdowns Sunday. With the loss ending Buffalo's season, Cook will finish his breakout fantasy campaign after posting 1,567 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns in 17 regular-season games as the Bills' starting tailback. Barring a big-name addition to the backfield this upcoming offseason, Cook figures to lead Buffalo's rushing attack alongside quarterback Josh Allen in 2024.
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Bills' James Cook: Leading rusher off 18 carries
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Cook carried the ball 18 times for 79 yards while adding four catches for five yards in Monday's 31-17 wild-card win over the Steelers.
Cook was unable to score a touchdown to round out his final box score, but he still generated good rushing numbers on a game-high number of carries en route to victory. The 18 totes and 22 combined touches were marks the 24-year-old had reached only twice over the course of the regular season. Quarterback Josh Allen chipped in 8-72-1 as a runner Monday, while true backup Ty Johnson did little with his eight rushes (26 yards). With the victory, the No. 2 seed Bills will move onto the AFC divisional round to host the Chiefs in a rematch of the historic divisional playoff game from the 2021 postseason. Buffalo will be riding a win streak of six games into that playoff matchup while also featuring Cook as a new weapon that the 2021 version did not possess.
