Let’s take a look at the redraft and dynasty fantasy football impact of the Buffalo Bills’ selection of James Cook.
Team Drafted: Buffalo Bills
Pick Selected: Round 2, No. 63
2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Outlook
The Buffalo Bills selected running back James Cook at the end of the second round with the 63rd overall pick. The Georgia product has immediate fantasy appeal across all formats based on his draft capital, pass-catching prowess and offensive situation.
And it’s no secret that Buffalo’s front office has been trying to upgrade the position, specifically with a running back capable of excelling in the passing game. The Bills tried to sign J.D. McKissic this offseason and were heavily rumored to be in the market for Travis Etienne in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The fact that they are constantly sniffing around for other running backs despite having Devin Singletary on the roster suggests that Singletary’s late-season surge — he was the fantasy RB3 over the last six weeks — might not be sustainable.
Cook represents an immediate upgrade across all facets.
The younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook finished with the fifth-highest PFF receiving grade at the position in 2021 among his draft class.
He hauled in 27 of 30 targets for 274 receiving yards, including 112 in the College Football Playoff game against Michigan.
His overall counting stats are not particularly great, but that’s because he split work with Zamir White and Kenny McIntosh, as many Georgia backs often do. What matters more is Cook’s career three yards per snap – a mark that is a strong indicator of future production at the position.
If Cook added 10-plus pounds of muscle to his frame, he’d look highly similar to his brother. At his current build, he just looks like a smaller, faster version of Dalvin – Andre Ellington-esque.
I’d anticipate he operates in some kind of committee with Devin Singletary/Zack Moss, but it will be hard to keep him off the field based on his receiving ability and explosiveness.
And the fact that he went in Round 2 matters dramatically for redraft. Round 2 running backs finish as RB3s more than half the time based on my research of valuing rookies in Year 1.
Initial redraft ranking: RB31
2022 NFL Draft Profile
For every question mark surrounding James Cook’s prospects of becoming a productive NFL running back for fantasy, a parallel exists with currently successful NFL backs that eases my concerns. Nobody is scouting Cook as an every-down, bell-cow running back. There aren’t even more than a half dozen backs in the league who can say they aren’t involved in some semblance of a committee. His pedigree as the nation’s 3rd-highest-rated running back coming out of high school is apparent in his football acumen, instincts, and awareness as a ball carrier. Cook is effervescent in the open field, with great burst and acute lateral agility. He wins with finesse and is a natural at creating tricky tackling angles. Some running backs make themselves appear bigger with their running style. Cook almost disappears from grasps by dropping his hips and preemptively turning his feet to change direction rapidly.
The only real weakness I saw from Cook was his propensity to go down on first contact. He isn’t the strongest runner, nor is his contact balance great. His vision in space is twice as good as it is between the tackles. Cook often opted to stretch zone runs further outside to keep full speed instead of pressing the edge and reading the zone leverage for an opportunity to plant his cut and get north and south. He is a wonderfully talented receiver with a route repertoire as versatile as any in this class. He catches naturally with his hands and arms extended away from his body, with his feet readily in position to run after the catch. This trait is missing from most of this class. Cook could end up as the preeminent PPR running back from the 2022 class.
Just as James decided to carve his own path by shunning his brother’s alma mater to run between the hedges, he enters the league on an entirely different trajectory. The lack of volume at Georgia benefits his prospects as an NFL talent. He is an adequate pass blocker and an excellent receiver out of the backfield. It would be a surprise to see him not earn snaps immediately in the NFL as a rookie. There is no shortage of NFL offenses who primarily run the zone blocking concepts where James has thrived. Some of the injury issues that have plagued Dalvin could be due to the cumulative effect of being on the business end of the punishing demands of a collision sport.
James appears to be in the Day 2 conversation for the NFL Draft. His skill set is very desirable for NFL teams and merits immediate committee work, with opportunities to earn a heavier share through his performance. Dynasty managers should target Cook in the second round of their rookie drafts, understanding that he is not dependent upon his landing spot as some of the other backs in this draft class. An ideal landing spot would be alongside Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF) in San Francisco. The loss of Raheem Mostert (RB – MIA) leaves a void in the receiving department out of the backfield, which was an underlying reason for Deebo Samuel’s (WR – SF) peculiar workload in the second half of the 2021 season.
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