James Cook
vs Kenneth Walker

“Bills ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points out that Bills RB James Cook is massively underpaid given how the running back market has moved, and he would expect that situation to come to a head this coming offseason, especially with Cook continuing to excel on the field. Dolphins The Dolphins are 0-3 to start the season and just lost RB De’Von Achane for the rest of the year. When asked about keeping morale up, QB Malik Willis said they need to keep their head down and continue working toward improving.”

“Josh Allen should meet little resistance, and James Cook can gash them on the ground, too.”

“James Cook was the clear lead back on paper (69.2% snap share) but had a light workload overall — 13 carries and a true 4 targets (12.5% adjusted target share), with no red-zone or goal-line carries logged. Both of Buffalo’s rushing scores went to Allen, not Cook. Sometimes that will happen to Cook — Allen vulturing short scores at the goal line — but it hasn’t inhibited him too drastically in past seasons.”

“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.”

“In 2025, he recorded 1,621 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns and gave us even more reason to be confident. With the Bills’ offense under Joe Brady never finding a dominant receiver, Cook has had to stand up and be the top playmaker, and there’s no reason to think that can’t continue this year.”

“In 2024, James Cook dominated, scoring 16 touchdowns and rushing for 1,009 yards. That production seemed unsustainable.”

“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.”

“Kenneth Walker has been making all the noise, but his current workload pace is unsustainable. The Chiefs should have a positive gamescript in Miami, presenting a strong opportunity to have an increase in carries. Entering the week ranked as the RB39, Johnson could have more opportunities to spell Walker, especially because history & conventional wisdom has shown Walker does best with fresh legs.”

“We got a look at the ceiling this offense, with more balance and operating around Kenneth Walker , can bring to Mahomes. This was more in line with 2022 Mahomes, when he was just getting everyone involved. Mahomes connected on 32 of 47 passes (68.1%) for 382 yards (8.1 Y/A) with 3 touchdowns.”

“Walker had 30 touches this past week, averaging nearly 5 YPC on the ground and 10 yards per reception on short dump-offs and screen passes. His presence allows Kansas City to be truly two-dimensional on offense for the first time in years, which is a scary prospect for the rest of the league. Patrick Mahomes openly gushed about Walker’s presence before this game started in an interview, saying that he wasn’t surprised by his success thus far, considering he was the Super Bowl MVP.”

“It’s just the fourth time since his rookie season that Walker has hit 23 carries in a game, including the Super Bowl, and if the Chiefs offense continues to revolve around K9, he’s in for a special run.”

“Kenneth Walker – 6 targets, 3 rec Rashee Rice – 2 targets, 2 rec Walker did most of his work on the ground while dominating Monday Night Football, but do not overlook his work through the air. He only saw six or more targets five times in his 62 career games as a Seahawk. That kind of work in the passing game will be useful for fantasy if things aren’t going so well on the ground.”

“Denver Broncos Walker had an exceptional debut. The reigning Super Bowl MVP had an incredible first outing with his new team, dominating the Broncos on the ground and fundamentally changing what Kansas City’s offense looked like. Patrick Mahomes had an up-and-down performance off his knee injury, but it didn’t matter.”

“The Seahawks made it clear this offseason they wanted Price in a role similar to what Kenneth Walker had last year, and if you remember correctly, we hated that role until Zach Charbonnet got injured. Jadarian Price every touch in his NFL debut He’s a natural fit in the Seahawks wide zone offense, averaging 5.2 yards/carry Wednesday night.”

“Joining Kansas City with a huge payday, Walker should be thrust into one of the largest workloads of his career. Walker played over 60% of the offensive snaps in just one game during the regular season last year before being thrust into a larger role after Zach Charbonnet suffered a knee injury in the playoffs.”

“Don’t be surprised if Walker takes advantage of a light box and dominates as the featured guy in a dangerous Kansas City offense.”

“Walker is the most interesting addition. He has good hands and could take away some short opportunities. He can also help Kansas City sustain drives, create more red zone possessions, and improve an offense that ranked only 15th in points last season.”