Buffalo Bills RB James Cook is heading into the 2023 NFL season atop the depth chart after the departure of Devin Singletary, but will he take this backfield to new fantasy football heights in 2023?
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James Cook’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
It has been quite a while since the Bills’ offense has produced a top-15 fantasy RB … 2017, to be exact.
One big reason is the QB in Buffalo is one of the biggest TD vultures in the NFL. Josh Allen has scored 38 rushing TDs over the last five seasons and has never scored fewer than six in a season.
This likely played a role in Singletary never quite hitting the fantasy ceiling many had hoped for during his four-year run in Buffalo. His PPR finishes from 2019-2022 were RB35, RB31, RB20 and RB23.
Another factor that prevented him from finishing inside the top 15 in PPR formats was the presence of a third ball carrier in this offense.
Since 2019, Singletary, Allen, and another Bills RB have carried the ball a minimum of 89 times each.
Last year, that player was Cook, who finished 2022 with 89 carries and 21 receptions (110 total touches) for 687 total yards and three TDs.
Now, Cook has the inside track to an expanded role in this offense, but will anyone else emerge out of this backfield to cap his fantasy ceiling?
The Bills signed RB Damien Harris in free agency this offseason. The organization had a front-row seat to what Harris can do, as he torched the Bills by rushing for 100+ and a score on three different occasions as a member of the New England Patriots.
One role Harris proved effective in with New England was a short-yardage specialist with a nose for the end zone. He did score 15 rushing TDs in 2021, leading many to believe he will be the back of choice in goal-to-go situations.
However, if Cook can capitalize on his carries in the red zone, this assumption might burn fantasy managers who pass on Cook for solely this reason.
James Cook with the TD in Buffalo!
📱: Stream #INDvsBUF on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXevVUR pic.twitter.com/aE8UGgBzba
— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023
Is Cook a Good Fantasy Pick?
Currently, Cook is being selected in the RB3 range in the seventh round. To be fair, this is right around where Singletary settled during his days as the Bills’ leading rusher, with his ceiling topping out as the RB20 and his floor being the RB35 in PPR formats.
Allen is still a real threat to lead the team in rushing TDs, but the real question surrounds Harris’ role.
If Harris sees north of 100 carries and dominates the goal-line work, it is hard to imagine Cook getting inside the top 20 at the RB position.
However, if Harris isn’t as involved in this offense as many think and Cook truly is the three-down RB in one of the league’s most powerful offensive units, then Cook could break out in 2023.
He is certainly worth the selection as the leading man in this backfield and could return big dividends if the Bills feature him more than they did Singletary over the last four seasons.
- PFN Consensus: 71st overall
- ADP: 76th overall