The Buffalo Bills rushing attack was nothing short of dominant against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. After RB James Cook had a career-high 179 rushing yards on Sunday, he appeared on the injury report to start the week of practice ahead of Buffalo’s upcoming matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
If Cook’s injury limits him in any capacity heading into Saturday’s game, do Latavius Murray or Ty Johnson become viable fantasy football options for Week 16? Let’s take a closer look.
James Cook’s Fantasy Outlook
Fantasy managers who started Cook last week likely were very pleased with his 36.1 fantasy points after 221 total yards and two scores on a career-high 27 total touches against the Cowboys.
Unfortunately, according to the team’s injury report, his week started with a bit of bad news, with him being listed as a non-participant for Wednesday’s practice.
Fortunately, though, a recent report from Joe Buscaglia detailed that Bills head coach Sean McDermott stated that he is expecting Cook to be good to practice on Thursday and play on Saturday.
Cook has been the clear-cut leading man in this backfield for the entirety of the 2023 season, which is evident by his 968 yards and two scores on the ground and an additional 433 yards and four scores on 40 receptions through the air this year.
Cook has registered a minimum of 12+ fantasy points and 100+ yards from scrimmage in five straight games. If Cook is active against the Chargers this week, then Cook will aim to extend these two streaks to six on Saturday.
Latavius Murray’s Fantasy Outlook
Most fantasy managers thought it would be Damien Harris who would work in tandem with Cook heading into the 2023 season.
Instead, that honor has gone to Murray, who has 419 total yards and four scores on 95 total touches this year.
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Murray went through a three-game stretch from Week 10-12 where he saw a minimum of nine carries, but that momentum has faded over the last two games, with Murray toting the rock a combined eight times for 20 yards over the past two weeks.
Murray has been more of a touchdown vulture to Cook or Josh Allen than a real threat to either player for a significant amount of work this year. However, if Cook is unavailable against the Chargers, then Murray would have Flex value heading into Week 16.
Ty Johnson’s Fantasy Outlook
One off-the-radar name from this backfield would be Johnson, who did see a season-high nine carries for 54 yards on Sunday against the Cowboys. Admittedly, much of that work came in the second half of a blowout win, but he has seen a minimum of six touches in four straight games and even scored a receiving TD against the New York Jets in Week 11.
If Cook is unable to go against the Chargers, Johnson would likely see his role expand to make him a potential sleeper option in deeper PPR leagues this week.
Which Bills RB Should You Start in Week 16?
The pretty clear answer here is Cook — assuming he is active for Saturday’s game against the Chargers — because of his consistent leading role in this backfield throughout the season.
Coming off of a career high in touches and yards means Cook will get every opportunity to continue his exceptional run of recent production in this backfield in Week 16.
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