James Cook III Fantasy Stats

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III led the NFL in rushing last year with 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns on 309 carries in 17 regular-season games, with the Bills rushing the ball 52.4% of the time under offensive coordinator Joe Brady. The offense has leaned more heavily on the running game since Brady took over play-calling duties in Week 11 of 2023, but Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com questions whether the Bills will throw more under Brady in 2026. "I don't think you ever go into each game with a mindset of, 'This is how many carries he's going to have.' But it does pile up throughout the season, and I give him a lot of credit," said Brady. "I would love to be able to get Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Frank Gore Jr., those guys involved, and I hope those opportunities come up this year. James was just playing at such a high level last year. And this year again we're looking at everything." Cook is a three-time Pro Bowler who runs behind an elite offensive line, but fantasy managers may want to expect some regression in the rushing department in 2026, especially since the Bills made a concerted effort to upgrade their receiving room in the offseason. Don't forget that Cook had just four rushing touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons, then exploded for 28 rushing TDs in the last two seasons.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III earned second-team All-Pro honors for his work in 2025, when he recorded 1,912 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns on 342 touches across 17 games. The 26-year-old has always been an uber-efficient rusher, and he saw his workload spike from 14.9 touches per game in 2024 to 20.1 touches per game in 2025. The Bills promoted former offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach ahead of the 2026 season and did not make any notable additions to their running back room, so there's little reason to think that Cook III's role in the team's offense will change. By measure of per-game PPR scoring, Cook III has been a solid RB1 in back-to-back seasons. Entering 2026, he remains a high-end running back option for fantasy managers in redraft leagues.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III tied for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024, and while those calling for regression ahead of the 2025 season were technically right, Cook was able to pair his 12 touchdown runs with 1,621 yards on the ground and the first rushing crown of his career. Cook has finished as the RB8 and RB6 in the past two seasons, and with Buffalo's offense remaining largely intact for 2026, there is no reason to expect any significant falloff. The largest change comes at the top, where Joe Brady will take over as head coach, though his previous promotion to offensive coordinator coincided with Cook's breakout, and no team has scored more offensive touchdowns across his two full seasons as playcaller. While the offseason trade for veteran receiver DJ Moore could allow for perennial MVP-contender Josh Allen to again throw for more than 4,000 yards, something he has not done in either of Cook's RB1 seasons, a more balanced offense could also lead to more scoring opportunities on the ground. Despite Allen scoring rushing touchdowns at a historic rate in recent years, Cook has still been one of the league's most active backs from within the five-yard line over the past two seasons, and he is RotoBaller's RB5 for 2026.

New Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael may place a greater emphasis on involving running back James Cook III in the team's passing game, according to Matt Parrino of syracuse.com. Cook III recorded 44 catches for 445 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, but he's finished with fewer than 35 receptions and 300 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. The 26-year-old saw his largest overall workload in 2025, topping 300 carries for the first time and recording 342 touches overall. Carmichael was a part of many offenses with the New Orleans Saints, which heavily featured running back Alvin Kamara as a pass-catcher, and could bring a similar flavor to Buffalo. If Cook III can up his receiving workload without seeing a significant drop-off in rushing production, he may have overall fantasy RB1 upside in 2026.

After missing the media-accessible portions of organized team activities, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III has been a full-go at this week's mandatory minicamp, and the reigning rushing king told reporters on Wednesday that one of his goals for 2026 is to take better care of the football. Cook fumbled six times in 2025, with three resulting in turnovers, after putting the ball on the ground only once in 2024, resulting in a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns. If Cook can help to keep more drives alive and resulting in points, the fantasy ceiling rises even higher for a player who has also caught 109 passes over the past three seasons. With Joe Brady moving from offensive coordinator to head coach, there's a natural expectation that he will lean on his three-time Pro Bowl running back during the transition, and with a fourth straight top-12 fantasy finish a very realistic possibility, the 26-year-old Cook is RotoBaller's dynasty RB7.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III has not been present for the team's OTA practices this week, according to Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com, and third-year RB Frank Gore Jr. has stood out in his absence. Gore looked "explosive and decisive" while running through holes. Although OTAs are voluntary in the offseason, it's notable that Cook is a no-show, especially after already signing a four-year, $46 million contract extension last summer. Cook may already be unhappy with his contract after all of De'Von Achane, Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall, and Travis Etienne Jr. were given bigger deals this offseason. The three-time Pro Bowler led the NFL with 1,621 rushing yards on a career-high 309 carries last year while scoring 12 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games to finish as the RB5 in half-PPR scoring. He also had 33 catches for 291 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air. Cook has now scored on the ground 28 times in the last two seasons, and he'll continue to be viewed as a top-five fantasy RB with QB Josh Allen leading an explosive offense behind a strong offensive line.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III earned second-team All-Pro honors for his work in 2025, recording 1,912 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns on 342 touches across 17 games. The 26-year-old has been a highly productive player for Buffalo in all four of his NFL seasons. However, the Bills significantly upped Cook III's usage in 2025, as his 20.1 touches per game were nearly four more than his previous career high of 16.5. Buffalo failed to make any significant additions to their backfield in either free agency or the draft, putting Cook III in a position to dominate touches once again in 2026. Given the strong offensive environment around Cook III in Buffalo, there's little reason to think he won't continue to provide high-end RB1 production for dynasty managers for years to come as he enters his age-27 season.

Although Buffalo Bills running back James Cook was a highly productive player in his first three NFL seasons, he took his game to a new level in 2025. Across 17 games, the 26-year-old recorded 1,912 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns on 342 touches. Cook has always been an extremely efficient rusher, but the Bills coaching staff finally entrusted him with a true RB1 workload in 2025. Cook averaged 20.1 touches per game last season, well beyond his previous career-high of 16.5 touches per game in 2023. While the Bills shook up their coaching staff heading into 2026, former offensive coordinator Joe Brady is now the head coach in Buffalo and appears unlikely to drastically alter Cook's usage. Entering his age-27 season with an excellent offensive environment around him in Buffalo, Cook profiles as an elite dynasty running back.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has been trending up in fantasy football year after year. He opened his career as the RB44 as a rookie in 2022, but he has been a top-12 fantasy running back every season since then. He jumped to the ranking of overall RB6 last year, carrying the Bills' offense with 1,621 rushing yards, 291 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. Before the season, critics forecasted touchdown regression for Cook. While his touchdown total did scale back slightly from 18 to 14, he was still highly productive around the goal line, and he handled a new career-high rushing workload. The Bills underwent a coaching staff shakeup during the offseason, but new head coach Joe Brady was formerly Buffalo's offensive coordinator, so we don't expect the offense to look too different next year. Cook should continue to operate as the every-down back, rarely ceding touches to Ty Johnson and Ray Davis. He continues to have top-five upside in redraft and dynasty formats.

The Buffalo Bills are in win-now mode, and running back James Cook is one of their primary weapons on offense behind Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen. Cook made his third straight Pro Bowl in 2025 in his fourth year in the NFL and had a career year, leading the league in rushing yardage (1,621) with 12 rushing touchdowns on a career-high 309 carries in 17 regular-season starts. The 26-year-old led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024 and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The former second-round pick in 2022 out of Georgia finished as the RB5 in half-PPR scoring in 2025, behind only Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson, and Jahmyr Gibbs. In addition to his big numbers on the ground, Cook added 33 receptions for 291 yards and another two touchdowns through the air. Cook will go into the 2026 campaign as the clear workhorse for a Bills' offense that led the league with 159.6 rushing yards per game last year. He'll give fantasy managers a strong floor as a high-end RB1 this fall.