James Cook vs Malik Nabers

“Running back James Cook won the rushing title with 1,621 yards, but in PFF's view, Torrence didn't help his cause.”

“The Bills featured James Cook as a bell cow, leaving Davis little opportunity to provide fantasy relevance.”

“The counter to this would be that Josh Allen is coming off his lowest passing yardage total since 2019 (3,668), and hasn't thrown for more than 30 touchdowns in the last three seasons. However, the Bills seem positive their offense will take a step forward this year with the addition of DJ Moore under new head coach Joe Brady. That remains to be seen.”

“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.”

“James Cook was faded at ADP 39 with a 20% win rate and 71% top 6% finish, and the verdict was Wrong.”

“In 2024, James Cook dominated, scoring 16 touchdowns and rushing for 1,009 yards, and in 2025 he recorded 1,621 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. However, the counter to this consistency would be that Josh Allen is coming off his lowest passing yardage total since 2019 (3,668), and hasn't thrown for more than 30 touchdowns in the last three seasons.”

“Cook profiled as a high-upside pass-catcher out of the backfield when he entered the league in 2022, but that upside never materialized, as he has averaged just 41 targets per season over his first four years.”

“The counter to this would be that Josh Allen is coming off his lowest passing yardage total since 2019 (3,668), and hasn't thrown for more than 30 touchdowns in the last three seasons. However, the Bills seem positive their offense will take a step forward this year with the addition of DJ Moore under new head coach Joe Brady. That remains to be seen. If it does happen, and the team scores more passing touchdowns and moves the ball better, could it come at the expense of Cook's ceiling?”

“If you spent $70 on running back but somehow came away with James Cook and De'Von Achane (which is a bit under our current dollar value calculator), that could be just fine.”

“With Josh Allen still leading one of the NFL's highest-scoring offenses and the offensive line remaining strong, Cook's floor remains extremely high. The hosts also discussed the possibility that Buffalo could finally unlock more of Cook's receiving upside under new leadership, especially given his pass-catching pedigree coming out of Georgia.”

“Despite back-to-back productive seasons, James Cook continues to be viewed skeptically in fantasy circles, but the FantasyPros analysts argued that Cook keeps answering every concern fantasy managers throw at him. After many predicted touchdown regression entering last season, Cook still delivered elite production while expanding his rushing workload.”

“He has improved every season of his career, totaling at least 1,000 rushing yards in three consecutive years, including an NFL and career-high 1,621 in 2025. More importantly, Cook is one of six running backs to average 16 or more PPR fantasy points per game in each of the past two seasons.”

“We don't yet know the full timeline for Malik Nabers' recovery from a torn ACL and MCL, but there is a real chance he could end up on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start the season. If he does, and he misses the first four weeks of the season, Nabers can't be drafted as the WR11 at the beginning of the third round.”

“At his current cost, you are drafting him near his best-case scenario while ignoring the likely downside tied to recovery and early-season usage. Nabers is priced too aggressively on Sleeper, and the ADP simply does not leave enough room for the injury risk you will be facing.”

“Malik Nabers is one of the NFL's elite young receivers. His Sleeper ADP bakes in a full, immediate return to dominance despite real uncertainty coming off a major knee injury. Nabers tore both his ACL and meniscus, missed nearly the entire season and required a second procedure during rehab.”

“Harbaugh mentioned that the last few weeks have been encouraging and that Nabers is "doing great" and "made some real good progress in the last few weeks," though he will still be "building his way back to his ultimate full strength self" when he returns from his knee injury.”

“Malik Nabers is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 4. New York HC John Harbaugh said Nabers is spending a lot of time rehabbing at the team facility and is making "really good progress." Harbaugh added that Nabers is still around "70 percent" through his rehab.”

“Last year, he averaged 10.7 targets and 17.7 PPR fantasy points per game in his three healthy contests. Unfortunately, Nabers suffered a torn ACL in Week 4. More importantly, he recently underwent a second surgery to clean up his knee, putting his status for Week 1 in doubt.”

“Nabers and Jaxson Dart should have developed a strong connection by the fantasy playoffs. Last year, the Cowboys and the Lions surrendered the most and second-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.”

“Nabers underwent a 'cleanup' procedure on his right knee earlier in the offseason, removing scar tissue that was causing stiffness in his surgically repaired knee. His first surgery was for a torn ACL and a full meniscus repair, and the multi-ligament procedure combined with the secondary surgery represents a significant concern. Drafting Nabers as a WR1 in 12-team leagues or larger is entirely too ambitious given the significance of his injury and the likelihood of him missing time early in the year.”

“Take Malik Nabers, for example. Early in draft season, he was going near the end of the second round. Now, with the Giants adding WRs and his injury potentially lingering into Week 1, that early price looks a lot more fragile.”

“Giants HC John Harbaugh told reporters that WR Malik Nabers' rehab from knee surgery is complicated, noting it's not a simple knee injury. Harbaugh said the goal is for Nabers to start the season and get out there sometime in training camp, but it remains to be seen whether that will be the case.”

“With Malik Nabers (knee) being iffy for Week 1, this move helps provide depth the Giants wide receiver.”

“This conversation about his recent procedure to clean out scar tissue in his knee has me really worried about his availability to begin the regular season.”