BUF · RB

James Cook

James Cook is a running back for the Buffalo Bills. Depth chart: RB1.

Scouting report

James Cook: the full picture

Written automatically from Gridiron Value model data · updated September 24, 2026

James Cook at a glance

James Cook is a 26-year-old running back for the Buffalo Bills, listed at 5'11" and 190 pounds. The Buffalo Bills drafted Cook 63rd overall in the second round in 2022, out of Georgia; this is year five in the league.

2026 projection

Our season projection has Cook at 294.6 PPR points for 2026, which ranks RB6 at the position and works out to 20.0 points per game over 17.0 projected games.

2026 season so far

Through 2 games of 2026, Cook has scored 30.8 PPR points, or 15.4 per game. That is 10.5% of the full-season projection; at the current rate Cook would finish with about 262 points, behind the 294.6 projected. It is a small sample, so expect that pace to settle. The best week so far is 20.9 points in Week 2 against DET, the RB5 finish that week. Cook has cleared the 12-point mark we count as a usable RB start in 1 of 2 games, a 50% consistency rate.

Percentile profile

Measured against the 59 qualified running backs of 2026, Cook ranks in the 95th percentile in rush yards over expected per attempt, the 94th percentile in rush yards and the 94th percentile in yards per carry. Three of the 6 tracked categories sit at or above the 75th percentile. The softest mark is the 41st percentile in receiving yards.

Career track record

By season-long PPR scoring, Cook has finished as RB44 in 2022, RB12 in 2023, RB8 in 2024 and RB6 in 2025. Three of those 4 seasons ended inside the top twelve. The high-water mark is 302.2 PPR points in 2025. Across 68 regular-season games on record, the totals read 4,451 rushing yards, 33 rushing touchdowns, 134 receptions and 1,190 receiving yards.

James Cook by the numbers

Cook has been the highest-scoring running back of the week 1 time, finished in the weekly top five at the position 11 times and finished in the top twelve 27 times. The career high is 36.1 PPR points, set in Week 15 of 2023 against DAL. The game log also shows 3 games of 30 or more PPR points, 17 100-yard rushing games and 2 games with three or more touchdowns. In all, Cook has reached 20 points in 16 games, 24% of career appearances.

Contract

Cook is playing on a four-year, $46 million contract signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2025, an average of $11.5 million per year with $15.3 million guaranteed. The deal runs through the 2028 season.

2026 projected stat line

Projected PPR
294.6
PPR / game
20.0

James Cook fantasy outlook

James Cook enters the 2026 season with BUF and ranks RB6 and #22 overall in the current Gridiron Value projection. The model projects 294.6 PPR points across 14.8 games, or 20.0 points per game, placing the expected outcome in an elite fantasy tier. The preseason depth chart lists James Cook as RB1, so the opportunity forecast is tied to that current role rather than name value alone. In 2025, James Cook produced 302.2 PPR points in 17 games (17.8 per game), giving the projection a recent performance baseline. Projection confidence is 65%, with a 93% modeled chance of a Top-24 positional finish. The main variables are role stability, team scoring volume, and normal efficiency variance.

Week 2 projection

James Cook is projected for 14.6 PPR points at home against DET in week 2, with a likely range of 3.7 to 29.9.

Trade value

Gridiron Value prices every player from 0 to 100 within each league format. Value is up 3.0 since the previous model run (stable).

Redraft
61.6
Dynasty
58.4
Superflex redraft
68.3
Superflex dynasty
68.1
TE premium dynasty
35.2

Compare James Cook on the trade value chart

Career stats

SeasonTeamGCarRush ydsRush TDTgtRecRec ydsRec TDPPR
2026BUF23419217416030.8
2025BUF173091,6211240332912302.2
2024BUF162071,0091638322582266.7
2023BUF172371,122254444454232.7
2022BUF1689507232211801105.7

Running backs ranked near James Cook

Buffalo Bills fantasy players

Buffalo Bills depth chart and projections

Projections are model estimates, not recorded results. Snapshot 2026-09-24.