James Cook
Buffalo BillsJames Cook has 138 carries for 707 yards, 7 rushing touchdowns and 12 catches for 110 yards in 7 games for the Buffalo Bills this season through Week 8, 19.4 PPR points a game (updated November 6, 2026).
Model Score by season
Down 4.4 from last season.
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
A rushing champion who keeps climbing every single season.
The case for
- 2025 NFL rushing yards leader (1,621) at 5.1 YPC; the first Bills back to lead the league in over four decades.
- Three straight Pro Bowls and 2025 second-team All-Pro at age 26, with the receiving profile (130 career catches) intact.
The worry
- Recent game log shows wide variance with a 1.5 PPR week immediately after a 26.4 PPR week; Buffalo's game scripts can compress carries quickly.
- 32 career rushing TDs across four seasons; the touchdown rate jumped sharply in 2024-2025 and may regress to career baseline.
What to watch: Whether the league's leading rusher carries the workload again in 2026 or if Buffalo splits more snaps with their pass-catching backs.
Full take and bio
Cook climbed to STTM #4 tier 1 in 2025 alongside the rushing-yards crown, his third straight tier-improving year (tier 3 in 2023, tier 2 in 2024, tier 1 in 2025). The trajectory has been monotonic up the ladder, the rare RB profile that gains volume and efficiency at the same time. The case is no longer breakout; it is whether tier 1 is the new floor.
Cook was born in Miami and attended Miami Central before playing four years at Georgia, where he won the 2021 CFP national title. Buffalo took him 63rd overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2024 (tying the Bills franchise record with 16), led the league outright in rushing yards in 2025 (1,621) as Buffalo's first rushing leader since 1976, made his third straight Pro Bowl, and earned second-team All-Pro honors. He is the younger brother of NFL running back Dalvin Cook.
Comps
The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.
Plays like: Fred Taylor, Nick Chubb, Ezekiel Elliott. Built like: Ronnie Hillman, Antonio Pittman, Tyler Goodson. Coming out: Kenneth Gainwell, Tony Pollard, Jamaal Charles.
Of his 20 closest coming out: 2 stars, 4 starters, 10 backups, 4 didn't stick.
James Cook Props This Weekat MIN Mon Nov 9
| Market | Line | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing yards | 82.5 | -114 FanDuel | -114 FanDuel |
| Carries | 18.5 | -105 BetMGM | -110 Bovada |
| Receptions | 1.5 | -162 FanDuel | +130 Bovada |
| Receiving yards | 10.5 | -109 BetOnline | -108 DraftKings |
| Longest reception | 7.5 | -133 DraftKings | +102 DraftKings |
| Longest rush | 15.5 | -120 DraftKings | -108 DraftKings |
| Anytime TD | -110 Fanatics |
Best price across 9 books as of Fri Nov 6. Lines move; check the book before you bet. This week's board · Line Room
Play James's numbers on Underdog · partner link
James Cook Injury StatusNot listed
James Cook is not on the injury report as of Nov 6. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
This season · 7 games
19.4 fantasy points a game, 136 PPR on the season. Every game on the Game Log, every season on Career. Advanced numbers are EPA and Next Gen Stats.
Contract2026 cap
Every year of the deal, the dead money and what a cut or trade saves on the Contract tab.
Fantasy outlookWeek 9
This week he visits MIN, projecting 18.6 points a game from here.
Price a trade for him on the fantasy trade calculator, or see the whole board on the Fantasy hub.
Draft & College
Round 2, pick 63 to the Buffalo Bills in 2022, out of Georgia (SEC).
In college, 2018-2021, 42 games: 1,498 rush yds, 20 TD, 6.5 yds/carry, 61 rec.
Recruited
Class of 2018 · Running back · High school: Miami Northwestern, Miami, FL
GeorgiaHis full list of offers is not on our record yet; offers for the 2018 class are still being added.