James Cook vs Derrick Henry

“In this draft, I started with James Cook as my anchor running back, and then hammered wide receiver with my next three selections.”

“While Cook does not have the pass-catching profile that usually benefits from a full PPR format, he has been one of the absolute best assets to have on a fantasy roster over the past few seasons, finishing as a top-12 RB each of the last three years. There is hope that Cook may become more involved in the passing game for the Bills, which would only give his fantasy ceiling a boost.”

“Fantasy players that want to draft a safe first-round running back should target James Cook. He doesn’t have overall RB1 upside with Josh Allen ‘s role at the goal line.”

“James Cook (RB – BUF) has already shown flashes of every skill needed to be the overall RB1: a big receiving season, an 18-touchdown season, and a 1,600-yard rushing season, just never all in the same year.”

“Repeat Seasons It should be more of the same for James Cook and Chase Brown , who saw little change in their offenses this offseason.”

“31 10 21 James Cook 13 5 8 Josh Jacobs 7 15 -8 Saquon Barkley 2 13 -11 Bucky Irving 10 33 -23 In past years, so many top RBs have gotten hurt that the Zero (or hero) RB draft strategies have become popular.”

“I recently gushed about James Cook and Ray Davis as players to target at Underdog at their ADPs .”

“James Cook was picked as the best value on the board at 11th overall, priced almost entirely off last year’s production rather than his upside. The case for a top-three running back season rests on four pillars, and Cook checks every one.”

“James Cook was a no-brainer pick, and it came down to Derrick Henry and Ashton Jeanty for the RB2 slot.”

“The Bills put their money where their mouth is by giving James Cook a ton of money, then followed that up with a bunch of touches (349, to be exact), and brought the rushing title back to Buffalo. James Cook led the NFL in 2025 with 11 games of 80+ rushing yards.”

“Well, so much for all of the regression talk about James Cook last year. Cook crushed all of the haters, improving his stock as the RB6 in fantasy points per game. He led the NFL in rushing yards (1,621) while finishing third in rushing attempts and sixth in rushing touchdowns (tied).”

“James Cook is expected to be more involved in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, whose running backs have been heavily involved in the passing attack throughout his coaching history. Cook had a career-high 309 rush attempts in the regular season en route to the NFL rushing title last season, and shifting some of his carries into targets could be a wise move given his excellent receiving skills demonstrated at the NFL level.”

“Derrick Henry (RB – BAL) Even dating back to his time with the Titans, Derrick Henry has been a massively consistent running back for fantasy football. Since 2023, he’s finished as a top-10 running back in PPR formats (and even better in standard leagues).”

“Derrick Henry – 19.2 Joining that contract range this offseason: De’Von Achane , Breece Hall, and Kenneth Walker”

“Derrick Henry (BAL) — ECR: RB11 | Projection Rank: RB5 | Projected FPTS: 264.”

“Yesterday, I was speaking with Football Absurdity hair model Waleed Ismail about an auction team he mock drafted where he went heavy RB (Bijan, Hampton, Derrick Henry), and paid down at WR (Carnell Tate, Parker Washington).”

“Overall, the increase of under-center snaps favors Derrick Henry , which poses a specific siphoning risk related to rushing TD opportunity.”

“Other skill-position players with a similar LTV include fellow veteran Derrick Henry and Sam LaPorta.”

“Baltimore now turns to head coach Jesse Minter, whose offseason reviews highlight a more explosive and creative scheme. That shift should benefit Henry's usage and the offense as a whole. The veteran's current average draft position in the middle rounds is a clear value.”

“Every season, managers expect Derrick Henry to decline, and every season he proves them wrong. Henry turned 32 in January, yet his power, durability and efficiency remain intact. He finished as the RB8 in PPR formats last year with 279.5 fantasy points and continues to play well beyond typical age curves.”

“Much like fine wine, it just seems like Derrick Henry is getting better with age. However, only the 1972 Miami Dolphins and Father Time are undefeated. King Henry is coming off a career season in which he had 27 carries in the 5-yard line. There isn't anyone challenging him on the depth chart for touches, so the only concern in 2026 is age and the departure of center Tyler Linderbaum.”

“Derrick Henry is entering his late-career danger zone, and the depth behind him is paper-thin.”

“Every season fantasy managers wonder whether Derrick Henry is finally slowing down. Jake Ciely isn't buying it. His reasoning is simple. Henry's draft cost continues to fall even though his production hasn't. Ciely also pointed out that Henry's fantasy scoring remains remarkably consistent regardless of game script, making him one of the safest veteran running backs available. At his current ADP, he's comfortable betting on Henry one more time.”

“While some won't draft Henry for fear his age makes him an injury risk, the veteran has played in at least 15 games in all but one year of his career, including 17 contests in three consecutive seasons. He was RB8 last year, averaging 16.4 PPR fantasy points per game despite totaling only 15 receptions, 18 fewer than any other running back to finish top 20.”