James Cook III Week 4 Outlook - Dolphins at Bills

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Thu, Sep 28th 2023, 1:05pm EDT

Cook continues to hum along as Buffalo's lead ball carrier. He's the RB16 in fantasy, averaging 18 touches and 111.3 total yards, playing 59-62% of the snaps weekly. Cook has been explosive this year, ranking 12th in explosive run rate and ninth in yards after contact per attempt. He is 14th in route run per team dropback rate, 12th in Target share, and 17th in YPRR among 45 qualifying running backs. The biggest issue Cook is having isn't volume or pass game usage but the work near the goal line. Cook has only 33% of the red zone rushing attempts and one carry (of the seven total inside the five carries) inside the five-yard line. Cook will have to grind out tough yards this week, but his usage lines up pretty well with what Miami has issues defending. The Dolphins have given up the 12th-fewest missed tackles per attempt and the 11th-lowest yards after contact per attempt, but they have been vulnerable to gap runs. Miami has allowed the ninth-highest yards per carry (4.72) to gap runs (Cook 79% gap). Miami also has given up the fourth-highest yards per reception to running backs, so if Cook doesn't get it done on the ground, he can through the air. Week 4 Positional Value: RB1