The Bills are taking on the Dolphins in the first official 'Thursday Night Football' game of the season in Week 2. While the entire Buffalo team is technically playing, running back James Cook balled out in the first half for three total touchdowns, outscoring Miami all on his own.
Cook was expected to have a solid season this year, but with all of the changes to the Buffalo offense, there was still some doubt. When you look at the role of a running back, some of their best plays come near the goal line. For Cook, he has Josh Allen under center and often loses carries due to his quarterback barreling his way into the endzone.
Cook's first half in Thursday night's game is making him look like a top running back in the league. For fantasy football leagues, though, is this the time to sell high on Cook?
James Cook stats vs. Dolphins
Cook is only in his second season, but he already has at least a share of Bills' history. His three first-half touchdowns tie a team record for most scores by one player in a half. Cook is tied with six other people, with the most recent occurrence coming in 2020, also against Miami.
He didn't need to do much in the second half, especially after the Bills went up three scores thanks to a pick-six.
- Rush: 11
- Rush Yards: 78
- Rush TDs: 2
- Receptions: 1
- Rec. Yds: 17
- Rec. TDs: 1
James Cook fantasy outlook
Cook was drafted as the overall RB13 in half-PPR scoring formats. He was the unquestioned No. 1 running back for Buffalo ahead of Ray Davis, so he was expected to get plenty of touches. Still, last season, he had 237 carries and two touchdowns. Allen had 111 carries for 524 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns.
Rostering Cook in fantasy football was beneficial but highly frustrating when you watch the quarterback vulture away most of the touchdowns from Cook. Even if Allen finished with 10 rushing touchdowns and some went Cook's way, his fantasy outcome would have been different.
On his 49-yard TD run, James Cook reached a top speed of 20.99 mph, the fastest speed as a ball carrier of his career.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 13, 2024
🔹 Rushing Yards Over Expected: +42
🔹 TD Probability: 0.6%
Watch @TNFPrimeVision w/@NextGenStats
📺: https://t.co/2wOmTXZ2PV pic.twitter.com/1ZMrZMh45Z
Your fantasy football roster is always fluid. Whether looking through the waiver wire or testing out trades, you must always be ready to pull the trigger on a move. If you roster Cook, you love this performance for your Week 2 matchup, but you need to think more long-term.
Do you remember last week when he had 71 yards on 19 carries, but Allen had two rushing touchdowns? This could be a primetime performance that gets your leaguemates to overpay for Cook, lending you a big return and the drop of a headache. Every roster construction is different, but if you get the right deal — and have solid depth at RB — it isn't a bad idea to capitalize on this breakout performance and help improve your overall roster for the rest of the season.
