JamesCook III

News: 3 days agoCook rushed 24 times for 154 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target in the Bills' 24-16 win over the Chargers on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.

Spin: Although neither offense looked anywhere close to cohesive as a whole, Cook was a rare exception. The star running back delivered another dominant performance on the ground despite his day getting off on the wrong foot, as he lost a fumble on the first play from scrimmage and saw the Chargers parlay it into a touchdown. Cook's longest run of the day was a relatively modest 23 yards, meaning he consistently ripped off chunk gains against the Chargers defense. He also went in for his second touchdown of the season at a critical juncture in the fourth quarter, extending a 17-13 Bills lead at the time with a three-yard run. Cook has quickly amassed 346 rushing yards at 6.0 yards per carry over his first three games, affording him an abundance of momentum heading into a Week 4 divisional home showdown against the Patriots next Sunday.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Cook signed a contract extension last offseason and was immediately vaulted into the biggest role of his career. The 2022 second-round NFL draft pick finished in the top five among backs in carries, rushing yards (league-high 1,621), touchdowns and yards per carry (5.25). The one limiting factor in Cook's fantasy output was a minimal receiving role (his 40 targets ranked 26th among RBs), but he still came through with a sixth-place finish in fantasy points. The 26-year-old is set to play the same role in Joe Brady's scheme and will be a candidate for his third straight double-digit touchdown campaign as long as Josh Allen is under center. Consider Cook a midrange RB1.