James Cook
vs Jaxon Smith-Njigba

“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.”

“Last week, with backup QB Drew Lock starting in place of the injured Sam Darnold (who’s expected back soon), Smith-Njigba had nine catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Smith is the Renoir of route runners. The Seahawks were featured in this summer’s HBO “Hard Knocks” series, and there was a fascinating segment that showed Smith-Njigba practicing his routes alone as teammates and coaches talked about his talents.”

“Through two games, Smith-Njigba has caught 17 of 22 targets for 277 yards and four TDs . That is a 77.3% catch rate while averaging 138.5 receiving yards per game , making it abundantly clear that he is picking up right where he left off as one of the premier WRs in fantasy. Next up is Washington, and as a Commanders fan, I am already preparing for the reckoning.”

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 11 targets, 9 rec Much like ARSB, I don’t need to go into much detail for JSN. He was drafted to be a stud and is paying off through two weeks. He has seen over a 40% target share in both games so far, and there’s no reason to believe that will come crashing down anytime soon, if at all.”

“IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 11 targets, 8 rec Another familiar name on the list, JSN’s 11 targets equated to a massive 46% target share. He led the NFL with a 36% target share last season, which may not be as unsustainable as it seems. Those targets, however, may be coming from Drew Lock for the next few games.”

“It was quite the surprise to see Jaxon Smith-Njigba available after the first four selections. We did weigh some of the running back options available, but ultimately felt that Smith-Njigba is the type of talent that can set you far apart from the rest of the league.”

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is coming off a season in which he had 35.8% of the Seahawks' targets and 50% of the team’s air yards He also led the league in receiving yards.”

“It was a truly special year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba , who led the league in receiving yards (1,793) and helped the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl. He also scored 10 touchdowns and was targeted a whopping 163 times (119 receptions).”

“It was a truly special year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, leading the league in receiving yards and helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl. The only cause for concern is Klint Kubiak, the former offensive coordinator, moving to become the Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints and a potential dip in efficiency from Sam Darnold .”

“Like Nacua, Smith-Njigba ranked outside the top 20 wide receivers in total routes run, at just 495 despite perfect health. Seattle was a run-first team by choice last year, but they also played a lot of un-competitive 2nd halves — at times induced by a Smith-Njigba eruption. I could see the team’s PROE rising given the changeover in their backfield, and could especially see the actual pass rate rise if the team plays more competitive games.”

“It's hard to ignore how efficient Jaxon Smith-Njigba was in 2025. Smith-Njigba ranked fifth in targets, but was second in receiving yards (1,794). Four of his touchdowns came on passes of 20+ yards downfield, with an absurd 60% catch rate.”