During his rookie campaign, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook did not get many chances to showcase his skills. For the most part, Cook was stuck behind Devin Singletary and was limited to 110 total touches. Despite the limited usage, Cook had some bright spots that show promise for the future. Cook finished last year with 97 fantasy points (Half PPR) and 3 total touchdowns. He is now in line to be the lead back in one of the league’s most prolific offenses. Let’s take a more detailed look at what to do if you’re a James Cook dynasty manager or looking to acquire him.

2022

When the Buffalo Bills drafted James Cook from Georgia there was hope that he could carve out a big role. The Bills had Devin Singletary but he wasn’t exactly a league winner. Unfortunately, it took Cook a while to adjust to the NFL and it showed in his debut. He fumbled the ball on his first ever NFL carry which was less than ideal. It wasn’t the start Cook was looking for but he responded in week 2 when rushed for 53 yards on 11 carries. He showed some of his elusiveness and breakaway speed on a 33-yard run late in the 4th quarter. It was the type of run that we hoped he build momentum on but that didn’t happen.

In the next 7 games, Cook didn’t make much noise. He all but disappeared from the Bills offensive gameplan until week 11 vs the Cleveland Browns. Cook once again showed that if you give him touches he will produce. Against Cleveland, Cook had 86 yards rushing and averaged 7.8 yards per carry. His best game of the season came in a blowout win at the Chicago Bears. Cook had a season-high 99 yards rushing and a season-high 16.8 fantasy points. If you’re looking for a game to get excited about Cook, this was the one.

2023

James Cook will now get his chance to solidify his role as the Bills starting running back. This offseason, Devin Singletary signed on with the Houston Texans clearing the way for Cook. The Bills also brought in Damien Harris and Latavius Murray but they will likely compete for the backup role. Buffalo drafted Cook for a reason and they want to give him every chance to succeed. Cook has all the intangibles to be a star running back, including elite breakaway speed.

James Cook’s Dynasty Value

What is the current value of James Cook dynasty shares right now? Currently, his value is staying pretty steady on KeepTradeCut and he is currently listed as RB30. This is right in line with our dynasty trade value chart where we have him listed as RB27 with a trade value of 23.53. The potential for Cook in his second year in the Buffalo offense is too big to ignore. My advice at this time is to HOLD on Cook and watch how develops as the starting running back for the Bills.

The post James Cook Dynasty Outlook Right Now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Carolina Panthers officially (and tragically for countless Panthers fans) moved on from Christian McCaffrey. It’s poetic for 49ers nation that CMAC returned to the bay (as he dominated foes at Stanford). It should still be discussed for Carolina Panthers which RB may be a good replacement option for his services. Hence, I’m going to untwine a few potential replacement options for Christian McCaffrey.

• David Johnson

The once all-purpose juggernaut RB for the Arizona Cardinals, David Johnson, has yet to join a football club in 2022. Johnson recorded 453 all-purpose yards (228 rushing yds and 225 receiving yds) a season ago. He was a modest ball-carrier in 2020 (691 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns, 4.7 YPC, and 314 receiving yds).

• Latavius Murray

The 6’4 RB, Latavius Murray isn’t a stranger to the NFC South — as he previously went to battle for the New Orleans Saints. Murray has bounced around a couple of teams this season, so he has had his feet wet. He certainly isn’t a long-term fit in the Carolinas, but it may be wise for CAR to insert him in their offense in the short-term picture.

• Adrian Peterson

All-Day has refused to die in the back stages of his career. It wasn’t that long ago that AP registered 604 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns (2020). Plus, the future Hall of Famer would be an excellent veteran presence for any interested squad.

• Alfred Morris

It may feel like a millennia ago that Alfred Morris was stomping over opponents in Washington, but he can still be a serviceable RB for any team with interest. Morris can also excel in the pass game — which can help heal the wound left by McCaffrey.

The post Potential replacements for Christian McCaffrey appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

After some unfortunate injuries leading up to Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, including JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, the stable of running backs for the Baltimore Ravens is going to look much different than expected. Their rushing attack, in addition to quarterback Lamar Jackson of course, will now likely come from a combination of multiple running backs. This is not uncommon for the Ravens, who use a creative run-heavy scheme and can support multiple running backs from a fantasy football perspective.

The distribution of carries in Baltimore is going to be something to keep a very close eye on over the early weeks of the season. They have a few different options for who could receive the biggest workload, including Ty’Son Williams, Devonta Freeman, and Le’Veon Bell, but the leading candidate to have the most production is their newest addition to the roster, Latavius Murray. It may take a week or two to get him up to speed, but as soon as he is fully acclimated with his new team, he will likely take over as their RB1. Here is why Murray is a buy in fantasy leagues and the top choice of who to own in the ravens backfield.

Consistent and Reliable

Across his seven seasons in the NFL, Murray has only missed four games total. He has consistently solid production including 713 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns per season, 4.2 yards per carry, and just two lost fumbles in his entire career. He played in three very different schemes with the Raiders, Vikings, and Saints but that never impacted his steady output so changing teams again would not appear to have any negative effect on his game. He is used to playing in situations where he has to compete for carries so being in the Ravens currently crowded backfield is no different. He has always delivered positive results when given the chance and this may be his biggest opportunity for more touches in over five years. A bigger workload in an extremely RB-friendly scheme could mean big things for Murray this year.

Weak Competition

None of the other RB options on the Ravens are nearly as dependable as Murray. Freeman has been unable to stay healthy over the last three seasons, playing in just 21 games combined, and his yards per carry have steadily decreased. His 3.5 yards per carry over the last three years are significantly lower than his career 4.1 average, which indicates regression. Williams has not played an NFL game yet but was not at all a high prospect coming out of college. In fact, he was undrafted, which speaks to his perceived low potential as a player. Bell is an interesting situation but it appears that his best days are behind him at this point.

In his five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell was one of the very best backs in the NFL with a very dynamic skill set. He eclipsed 2200 total yards back in the 2014 season and came close to the 2000 yard mark twice more in both 2016 and 2017. After sitting out the entire 2018 season because of a contract dispute, he has never been quite the same. Playing in 26 games over the last two seasons, he has recorded just 1716 total yards combined. In his prime that would be a down year for just a single season total. Now 29 years old and 4 years removed from elite status, it is more than likely that his best days are long gone.

Considering all of the question marks and inconsistencies with all of the other options, Murray is by far the most reliable back in Baltimore. All of them will get carries at some point and their play on the field will likely determine the share of touches moving forward. Murray is the newest to the team so he may not get too much of a workload in week 1 but as the season continues on it should increase drastically. All things considered, he is the leading candidate to be the RB1 for the Ravens and has an opportunity to have a huge season in this run heavy scheme. If there is one back to buy in fantasy right now, Murray is the best investment.

The post RB Latavius Murray is a Buy in Fantasy appeared first on Pro Football Mania.