The Buffalo Bills were able to secure a narrow victory over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football without the benefit of their top running back. Will James Cook be able to return to the field after just a one-game absence? What is the latest on Cook’s toe injury?
Is James Cook Playing in Week 7?
Cook first suffered his toe injury in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ Week 5 loss in Houston.
On the play in which Cook was injured, the running back left his feet to secure a Josh Allen pass inside the Houston 5-yard line along the sideline. As Cook came back down, his left leg whipped toward the ground, and his foot slammed to the turf.
Cook left the game after that play, favoring the foot considerably, and did not return.
After video analysis, Dr. David Chao of Sports Injury Central suggested Cook’s injury was to his big toe and could be of the turf toe categorization. Dr. Chao termed Cook as likely “on the bubble” to play in his team’s next game.
The Bills are dealing with injuries to three of their stars. @profootballdoc shares his analysis of Josh Allen (concussion), James Cook (toe), and Khalil Shakir(ankle). #BillsMafia
➡️https://t.co/EI7cs04NDW pic.twitter.com/ua6roYmPVZ
— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) October 10, 2024
That prediction turned out to be as accurate as it gets. Cook missed the Bills’ first two practices of the week before returning to a limited session on Saturday. He drew a questionable tag on the final injury report, but Cook said he planned to play.
The #Bills side of things from earlier, with RB James Cook expected to play after practicing today. https://t.co/2SzHXTfOnB
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 12, 2024
Players have a tendency to be overly optimistic on their own health. As it turned out, Cook did not play on Monday night.
To start Week 7, Cook did practice on Wednesday, but despite the limited designation, it’s unclear how significant his participation level was.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said that everyone will participate in today's walkthrough. They will see how much RB James Cook and DT Ed Oliver can do, and how tomorrow's first full practice goes.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) October 16, 2024
As it turned out, the first practice of the week went quite well. Cook was able to practice in full, which suggests he is no longer hampered by the toe.
Then, on Friday, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he expects Cook to play against the Titans. Cook put in another full participation in practice on Friday. McDermott also said receiver Amari Cooper will play after being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
We’re live with Coach McDermott as he meets with the media before practice.#TENvsBUF | #BillsMafia https://t.co/s7QfMPIoQF
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 18, 2024
While Cook is likely not quite 100%, the full sessions over the last two practices indicate it’s not an issue that will limit him in any way. We should fully expect Cook to be back in action when the Bills take on the Titans this Sunday.
Fantasy Implications of James Cook’s Toe Injury
The implications of Cook’s absence are significant both for the Bills as well as fantasy managers. Cook has been Buffalo’s bell cow having logged 70 carries (and with no other member of the team having more than 26). Cook has 309 rushing yards, a 4.4 per-carry average, and four touchdowns.
The four-year veteran also has 11 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown in five games.
With Cook out, Ty Johnson started, but it was really just a ceremonial start. Ray Davis dominated touches, handling 23 of them and totaling 152 yards from scrimmage.
Given McDermott’s, it would be a bit of a surprise if he couldn’t suit up in Week 7. At the same time, if he is dealing with turf toe, that tends to linger, and could flare up at any moment.
Cook’s workload could also increase due to uncertainty about his primary backup. Ray Davis popped up on Thursday’s practice report with a calf issue, and was limited again on Friday. We’ve seen a number of players sustain soft tissue injuries at practice. It appears that is what’s happened to Davis as well.
Given that Davis did practice on Friday, it appears his injury is relatively minor, and that the rookie has a chance to suit up on Sunday. However, he appears to be in worse health than Cook, which reduces his chances of cutting into the starter’s workload.
Regardless of Davis’ status, he won’t be startable if Cook returns as expected.
