James Cook was a consistent piece in the Bills' offense even before Joe Brady took over (RB12, RB13, RB8 finishes). Still, once Brady took over calling the offense, he had a four-week stretch of RB10, RB12, RB3, and RB2 finishes (19.20, 16, 26.1, 36.10). The entire philosophy of the offense changed once this switch happened.
In the first half of the season, Cook averaged 11 touches a game. Then Brady took over, and he was averaging almost 19 touches a game, which is 323 touches in a full 17-game schedule. His career average yards per touch is 5.8. With that workload, Cook would have 1873 yards this year, based on averages only, not counting outlier games.
Cook makes chunk plays regularly in the receiving game as well, with a career 9.6 yards per reception. With over 241 targets available in this offense (Diggs and Davis departures), his targets should increase, as should his carries. Ray Davis might take some of his work, but the backfield should be his this year.
His touchdown numbers should uptick slightly as well. There were only 6 total touchdowns on 281 touches in 2023. This number could get up to double digits with the elevated usage. Cook will never be a short-yardage back, but he can succeed inside the red zone if given the chance. Josh Allen had 15 rushing touchdowns last year, where he typically averages 7-8. If four of those touchdowns find their way to Cook, he has top-10 upside.
The difference between Cook and the other top 6 running backs is that his ADP is 60th overall player in dynasty superflex while Breece, Bijan, and Gibbs are all in the top 25 in ADP. There is a massive discrepancy in ADP between these guys, and Cook is on the best offense as well, which is looking to run the ball more with Joe Brady at the helm.
Our consensus projections for Cook in the 2024 season are 286 carries for 1,350 yards and 7 touchdowns. In the receiving game, his consensus projection is 60 receptions for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns.
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