James Cook
vs George Pickens

“While the outcome was mild against a Houston defense we still buy as one of the best defensive fronts, Cook got the usage we wanted to see. He played 69.2% of the snaps (RB11) and saw 88.9% of the backfield touches (RB4). The one element that left more to be desired was the passing-game usage that was talked up this preseason.”

“James Cook (RB – BUF) In 2024, James Cook dominated, scoring 16 touchdowns and rushing for 1,009 yards. That production seemed unsustainable. In 2025, he recorded 1,621 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, and gave us even more reason to be confident.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Unlike Saquon Barkley, who also plays with a quarterback used heavily near the end zone, the Bills do mix in Cook near the end zone, instead of strictly relying on Josh Allen moving the pile. Cook had 14 rushing attempts inside the 5-yard line in 2025 (tied for 8th in the NFL) with 6 touchdowns on those runs.”

“The public’s opinion on Pickens has changed, and while it is important to “stay water” as a dynasty manager, I do not believe much has changed in Dallas for me to view their WR tandem’s outlook drastically differently than I did at the end of last season. Prospect Performances Jeremiah Smith Watching Ohio State football is confusing for me at times. I cannot comprehend how Jeremiah Smith gets open on seemingly every play.”

“I understand Pickens was your second- or third-round pick, and you’re probably tilted, given the lack of production through four weeks. But I urge you not to sell low now. The spike weeks are coming, and soon.”

“George Pickens has a relatively disappointing nine receptions (4.5 per game) and 68 scoreless receiving yards (34.0 per game) this season. He also has two drops and a 36.3% air yard share. Better days lie ahead for Pickens, and they could start this week.”

“The newly arrived George Pickens recorded a 22.1% target share in the red zone compared to Lamb’s 18.6%, which was also behind Jake Ferguson , who led the team with 23.1%.”

“Never mind that George Pickens will cut into CeeDee Lamb ‘s target share in Dallas, and vice versa. Lamb and Pickens play in one of the league’s most prolific passing attacks, which makes both of them appealing draft targets.”

“Fellow wideout George Pickens is ranked just four spots behind Lamb in the Player Profiler Dynasty Rankings , and the gap is closing.”

“Pickens finished as a WR1 for the first time in his career, and there is no reason to think a repeat is out of the question. He is still behind CeeDee Lamb for targets, but he should contend for WR1 status.”

“Pickens answered that question by expanding his role after moving to a more aggressive passing offense, aided in part by a teammate missing time. The argument is that Pickens has already shown he can grow into a larger role, while Tate hasn’t yet, which should push Pickens ahead of him, possibly by more than a single spot.”

“Dallas will have a tough dilemma if franchised WR George Pickens has a Pro Bowl season and Overshown remains healthy.”

“George Pickens had a monster first year with the Cowboys, catching 93 passes for 1,429 yards.”