James Cook's Practicing Today, But What About Tomorrow?

What They're Saying

Cook: "We have talks. ... I mean, I deserve what I want, I need, and it's going to eventually happen. ... However it happens, it's going to get done. Wherever it happens at."

Bills GM Brandon Beane: "Sometimes you can't get on the same page or sometimes you're trying to fit it in. There's times guys have left here that we really wanted. We just couldn't make it work. But I can tell you, I'm hopeful, when we're sitting here at next year's training camp that James Cook is out there practicing and still representing the red, white, and blue."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

It'd be weird if Beane said, "I can't wait for James Cook to get overpaid by some other team next year; for now he's a Buffalo Bill." But every step of this saga has pointed to a chasm between what Cook thinks he should get and what the Bills believe he's worth.

Frankly, that gap aligns with why I'm not targeting Cook in fantasy football drafts.

He finished last year eighth among RBs in total PPR points and 11th in PPR points per game. But Cook ranked just 27th in expected PPR points per game, according to Pro Football Focus. His 3.6 points per game over expectation ranked fourth-highest among RBs.

Of course, we love a RB who can score points efficiently. And the guys ahead of Cook are bonafide studs:

• Derrick Henry
• Jahmyr Gibbs
• Saquon Barkley

So what's the problem? Cook feasted on TD luck. He tied for the league lead with 16 rushing TDs vs. just 10.3 expected rushing scores. That invites 2025 regression toward the mean.

Moreover, ranking just 27th in usage -- that's what drives expected-points calculations: touch volume and touch location -- indicates that the Bills don't really want to run Cook like a workhorse.

So expect similar usage in 2025. But Cook will be hard-pressed to match last year's fantasy scoring.

Dynasty Impact

This impasse shouldn't alter how you view Cook's dynasty outlook. He's likely to get paid somewhere next offseason.

That said, I'd look into potential sell opportunities now, while he's still the lead RB in a high-scoring Bills offense. I expect there's more downside risk than upward mobility to what would be Cook's first trip into unrestricted free agency.

Other Winners & Losers

Bills RB Ray Davis is a minor loser for Cook taking normal practice reps. Any sort of absence from camp workouts on Cook's part would have presented opportunity for the RB2. Davis remains a solid handcuff-level pick later in drafts, though.

Rankings Movement

We're not altering Cook's ranking, because we didn't project him initially as though his contract dispute would cost him any playing time.

We do have Cook as overvalued at his current RB14 PPR ADP.