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RB James Cook, BUF (1 Viewer)

The ascension has started. 5 carries for 35 yards and 1 reception for 41 yards. He looks fast and smooth. I would be surprised if the Bills come out of their bye without a plan to get Cook more involved.

They just came out of their BYE.
See, I was right then. LOL my bad
Cook has to be one of the top handcuffs right now. Singletary to his credit looks explosive as well, and was a shoestring tackle from 100 yards and a TD on the evening. They definitely prefer him between the tackles right now, but Cook could be huge next season (assuming Singletary stays healthy this year).
 
I took him early 2nd in dynasty but haven't had much optimism about him yet. I hope he takes over by next year
I took him at the 1.12/2.1 turn as well. I didn't love him but felt like Buffalo was a dream landing spot and the pass catching could really be utilized. He's just a rookie, it takes time. Especially with a team as good as the Bills. They have no reason to rush Cook out there or ever put him in uncomfortable situations but he is starting to demonstrate his value to the team. He seems to being passing Zach Moss by.
 
I took him early 2nd in dynasty but haven't had much optimism about him yet. I hope he takes over by next year
I took him at the 1.12/2.1 turn as well. I didn't love him but felt like Buffalo was a dream landing spot and the pass catching could really be utilized. He's just a rookie, it takes time. Especially with a team as good as the Bills. They have no reason to rush Cook out there or ever put him in uncomfortable situations but he is starting to demonstrate his value to the team. He seems to being passing Zach Moss by.
That would be fantastic. I hope he's the guy by next year.
 
James White? Why can't he be Chris Johnson? Top end speed? Concern about work load? He looked so smooth out there on Sunday, and he certainly didn't look small. CJ2K was never really expected to be what he became, either. We can say CJ was drafted in the back of the 1st round, but as we know, times were different then. Four running backs went in the first round before CJ in the 2008 NFL draft. This year, two running backs went before Cook, and all three went in the 2nd round. I'm impressed and excited for what's to come.
 
Bills are hard to argue with anything they do but this seems to me exactly like signing Emmanuel Sanders because they did not yet trust Gabriel Davis. People can debate that Sanders was a good signing but I thought he was a progress stopper for Gabe's development and the offense took it up a notch when Davis was forced into a bigger role when Sanders got banged up.
 
Bills are hard to argue with anything they do but this seems to me exactly like signing Emmanuel Sanders because they did not yet trust Gabriel Davis. People can debate that Sanders was a good signing but I thought he was a progress stopper for Gabe's development and the offense took it up a notch when Davis was forced into a bigger role when Sanders got banged up.

X-factor is the contract (if I am reading it right which is definitely questionable)...he has a $0 dead cap hit after this year but makes pretty good $ the next two...for a team stacked like Buffalo that could be too much to give him unless they either don't believe in Cook or are looking at this as a real short-term rental.

 
Let's see, where was this one ranked on the probability list of every possible trade ... Oh here it is.

...
...
4,398,823,002,509,237,422. Tom Brady for Josh Allen
4,398,823,002,509,237,423. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt for Parris Campbell
4,398,823,002,509,237,424. Nyheim Hines for Zack Moss
4,398,823,002,509,237,425. Derek Carr for Josh Jacobs - wait those guys are on the same team?
4,398,823,002,509,237,426. Brett Favre for Spencer Schwarzkopf - Favre is retired and who the hell?
...
...
 
He is very good pass catching back. Below average between the tackles, but that shouldn’t be how he is used.
Problem is that sort of describes the expectations of James Cook as well
That would indicate they don’t think cooks skills have been up to what they expected. Hines has proven his very good pass catching skills out of the backfield while with the Colts.
 
He is very good pass catching back. Below average between the tackles, but that shouldn’t be how he is used.
Problem is that sort of describes the expectations of James Cook as well
That would indicate they don’t think cooks skills have been up to what they expected. Hines has proven his very good pass catching skills out of the backfield while with the Colts.

Cook passes the eye test, but it makes me wonder if he's hitting the wrong holes, or missing blocking assignments?
 
He is very good pass catching back. Below average between the tackles, but that shouldn’t be how he is used.
Problem is that sort of describes the expectations of James Cook as well
That would indicate they don’t think cooks skills have been up to what they expected. Hines has proven his very good pass catching skills out of the backfield while with the Colts.

Cook passes the eye test, but it makes me wonder if he's hitting the wrong holes, or missing blocking assignments?
I saw someone compare it to using E. Sanders with Gabriel on their roster in years past. It may just be that win now attitude and not necessarily a huge knock on the player behind on the depth chart.
 
Here's the reality, Cook was always a developmental project and Singletary has looked better than he ever has IMO. I thought Cook would be worked in more and more as the season progressed, he still might, but this certainly throws a wrench in that plan.

Bills are in a win now mode so I get the addition of Hines. He's a proven commodity that fills a need and adds better depth than Moss did. Not great for fantasy purposes, but totally understandable why they did it.

I still have high hopes for Cook and he's only an injury away from major work this season. In keeper or dynasty he's an obvious hold based on draft capital, pedigree and how he's looked in limited action. I look for homerun stashes in redraft and I believe Cook still qualifies, so I would hold there as well, but every league and every team is constructed differently.
 
I think people are really undervaluing Cook the second half of the season and in dynasty. First of all, he has looked fantastic in limited action the past two games—he was smooth and electric on his touches against the Packers. Granted, Singletary has played very well, and I attribute much of that to him obviously playing for a new deal. That said, I’ll be shocked if Singletary finishes the season without missing a game or two, opening the door for a Cook to impress. Seemingly every year we see rookie RB’s come out of nowhere to lead fantasy teams to championships and Cook is at the top of my list this year. Actually, I’ll be surprised if he’s not relevant weeks 15-17.

Dynasty wise, we don’t know if they will attempt to resign Singletary and Hynes is under contract through 2025. Hynes has never really impressed me, but is a great fit for their passing attack and will definitely have a role moving forward. They invested a 2nd round pick in a cook this year and I fully expect them to give him every opportunity to be the main ball carrier next season.

I predict Cook changes the outcome of fantasy matchups in weeks 15-17. I love his game and think he’s starting to get more acclimated to the pro game.
 
The Bills are on a Super Bowl run, and have shown a propensity to play veterans over rookies. James Cook remains a nice bench stash due to talent and potential injury upside, if your League bench rules allow room for such a stash, but IMHO, as long as Singletary and Hines are healthy, they are likely going to dominate touches for the remainder of 2022.

Dwain McFarland is one of the most reliable analysts in the FF universe. He very strongly thinks Hines is going to quickly become Allen's second favorite target in the passing game, working in motion out of the backfield, or directly from the slot, in conjunction with Singletary remaining the primary RB, with them both on the field, in many instances, at the same time. The acquisition of Hines gives them a seasoned veteran version of Cook. Maybe not the rusher Cook has the potential to be, but far superior a receiver, and more importantly, a veteran who has 'been there, done that' enough to be trusted during a likely deep postseason run. The amount of snaps/touches/volume those 2 are going to receive out of the RB position will likely be a massive percentage. Unfortunately for Singletary, this is probably going to come at some expense of his receptions volume...but Singletary is a fine RB in his own right, the Bills like him, they trust him and he makes the most of his touches in what the Bills call a rushing offense, which isn't a high-volume component of how they prefer to play. Josh Allen himself eats a big piece of that pie. While Cook has some electric chops, he's a rookie and he's had some issues handling the football, which probably impacts McD's trust in him to give him an expanded workload unless it's in a safe situation or by necessity (injury).

I like Cook as much as anyone, he's a very exciting player, with dynasty upside, but I'm not confident he gets much volume more than an occasional COP/breather role for Singletary, or some late-game volume in games where the Bills have things well in hand, all other things being equal, for the current season.
 
I was disappointed by Cook's 41 yard catch and run against GB. He only got what was wide open to him and got taken down by Darnell Savage. A good player would have scored.
 
I was disappointed by Cook's 41 yard catch and run against GB. He only got what was wide open to him and got taken down by Darnell Savage. A good player would have scored.

let the viewer decide
Exactly! No one within 5 yards until he runs right into traffic and the arms of Darnell Savage that is notorious for missing tackles or people breaking through his attempts. A good player would have scored.
 
Put Zack Moss in that same spot and he gets about 40 yards too. That play shows me a lot more just how horrible GB's coverage was.
 
I was disappointed by Cook's 41 yard catch and run against GB. He only got what was wide open to him and got taken down by Darnell Savage. A good player would have scored.

let the viewer decide
Exactly! No one within 5 yards until he runs right into traffic and the arms of Darnell Savage that is notorious for missing tackles or people breaking through his attempts. A good player would have scored.
Did you think Cook should have leapt over the last two guys?
 
I was disappointed by Cook's 41 yard catch and run against GB. He only got what was wide open to him and got taken down by Darnell Savage. A good player would have scored.

let the viewer decide
Exactly! No one within 5 yards until he runs right into traffic and the arms of Darnell Savage that is notorious for missing tackles or people breaking through his attempts. A good player would have scored.
Did you think Cook should have leapt over the last two guys?
:shrug: Just saying he got what was given to him.
@BobbyLayne what did Cook do on that broken coverage play that you don't think others backs could have done? Not trying to fight you and laugh it off like this is the PSF. I'm seriously asking someone to point out what I might be missing?
 
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I'm holding onto Cook in a dynasty too and want nothing more for him to pan out and get more touches. Not going to anoint him as a great back yet because of a bad broken coverage play is all. Most impressive part of that play was Allen staying on his feet and being able to get rid of the ball. Most QBs go down there.
 
I was disappointed by Cook's 41 yard catch and run against GB. He only got what was wide open to him and got taken down by Darnell Savage. A good player would have scored.

let the viewer decide
Exactly! No one within 5 yards until he runs right into traffic and the arms of Darnell Savage that is notorious for missing tackles or people breaking through his attempts. A good player would have scored.
Did you think Cook should have leapt over the last two guys?
:shrug: Just saying he got what was given to him.
@BobbyLayne what did Cook do on that broken coverage play that you don't think others backs could have done? Not trying to fight you and laugh it off like this is the PSF. I'm seriously asking someone to point out what I might be missing?

breakdown of the play I linked earlier
  • Cook did his job on that play - initial read wasn’t there for Allen, Cook keeps moving to get behind the defense while Josh scrambles
  • does a nice job tracking the ball to catch it on the run
  • motors 23 YAC down to the 7
  • toward the end of the run he cuts back to avoid the guy Gabe Davis is blocking
  • as he completes that move and is setting up the next defender a Rasul Douglas comes flying in to spin him around and with Darnell Savage bring him down
In one play, he displays good awareness, works himself open, is able to track the ball on the run, runs quickly and decisively, eludes the first guy with a shot at him. Two guys combine to bring him down. You're arguing that 41 yard catch and run is a disappointment and that Zack cement shoes Moss could do the same thing. I'm comfortable taking the other side of the that assessment.

17 yard run early, since you want to know if he can break a Darnell Savage tackle attempt

every James Cook touch week 8 (no analysis)

it's OK to have different opinions, makes the world more interesting.
 
James Cook rushed four times for 15 yards in the Bills’ Week 9 loss to the Jets, adding two receptions for an additional 18 yards.

None of the Bills’ running backs were able to get going against the Jets’ defense. As usual, Cook served primarily as Singletary’s backup, but wasn’t able to make any splash plays. Cook may be in line to lose touches to Nyheim Hines as he gets used to the offense.

- NBCSportsEDGE
 
He was supposed to be a pass catching weapon and has looked terrible (almost awkward) in that role. Yesterday a terrible drop and a shaky route over the middle that almost caused an interception. My guess is they start phasing Hines in more and more to get ready for the playoffs. I thought his passing game production would present a perfect niche in this offense but he is not ready for it yet and would guess after yesterday he has a long ways to go to earn trust again.
 
He was supposed to be a pass catching weapon and has looked terrible (almost awkward) in that role. Yesterday a terrible drop and a shaky route over the middle that almost caused an interception. My guess is they start phasing Hines in more and more to get ready for the playoffs. I thought his passing game production would present a perfect niche in this offense but he is not ready for it yet and would guess after yesterday he has a long ways to go to earn trust again.
Yeah, with the playoff chase in full force, I’m guessing Cook will get the rookie mothball treatment for the most part. Good hold for next year though IMO for keeper/dynasty.
 
Hines played 4 snaps yesterday, 1 carry, no targets. Which dovetails with how they have used him post-trade.
  • snaps: 4-5-10-4
  • targets: 1-1-1-0
  • touches: 0-1-1-1
He is getting kickoff duties in addition to punts the last 2 weeks so that's exciting if you're in a return league.

PR: 1-18, 3-25, 2-37. 0-0 (Lions only punted twice)
KR: n/a, n/a, 3-76, 1-26

My guess is Buffalo has no plans to incorporate Nyheim but what do I know.
 
Hines played 4 snaps yesterday, 1 carry, no targets. Which dovetails with how they have used him post-trade.
  • snaps: 4-5-10-4
  • targets: 1-1-1-0
  • touches: 0-1-1-1
He is getting kickoff duties in addition to punts the last 2 weeks so that's exciting if you're in a return league.

PR: 1-18, 3-25, 2-37. 0-0 (Lions only punted twice)
KR: n/a, n/a, 3-76, 1-26

My guess is Buffalo has no plans to incorporate Nyheim but what do I know.
He must not be showing much in practice - not sure why they would trade for a PR/KR.
 
Hines played 4 snaps yesterday, 1 carry, no targets. Which dovetails with how they have used him post-trade.
  • snaps: 4-5-10-4
  • targets: 1-1-1-0
  • touches: 0-1-1-1
He is getting kickoff duties in addition to punts the last 2 weeks so that's exciting if you're in a return league.

PR: 1-18, 3-25, 2-37. 0-0 (Lions only punted twice)
KR: n/a, n/a, 3-76, 1-26

My guess is Buffalo has no plans to incorporate Nyheim but what do I know.
He must not be showing much in practice - not sure why they would trade for a PR/KR.

Because they can. Buffalo has great redundancy in their roster construction. 90% of the league would be thrilled to have football player like Shakir and finding ways to get him the ball every week.

Besides losing Micah Hyde awhile back, yesterday Buffalo was missing their starting C, 2-time pro bowl LB, last year's #1 pick (starting DE Rosseau), and a rotational DE with 3.5 sacks. Lost their starting LT during the game (they've had 3 starting OL miss significant time this year.) Layers of talent, next man up across the board.
 
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Hines played 4 snaps yesterday, 1 carry, no targets. Which dovetails with how they have used him post-trade.
  • snaps: 4-5-10-4
  • targets: 1-1-1-0
  • touches: 0-1-1-1
He is getting kickoff duties in addition to punts the last 2 weeks so that's exciting if you're in a return league.

PR: 1-18, 3-25, 2-37. 0-0 (Lions only punted twice)
KR: n/a, n/a, 3-76, 1-26

My guess is Buffalo has no plans to incorporate Nyheim but what do I know.
He must not be showing much in practice - not sure why they would trade for a PR/KR.

Because they can. Buffalo has great redundancy in their roster construction. 90% of the league would be thrilled to have football player like Shakir and finding ways to get him the ball every week.

Besides losing Micah Hyde awhile back, yesterday Buffalo was missing their starting C, 2-time pro bowl LB, last year's #1 pick (starting DE Rosseau), and a rotational DE with 3.5 sacks. Lost their starting LR during the game (they've had 3 starting OL miss significant time this year.) Layers of talent, next man up across the board.
Fair point - they only gave up Zach Moss (who was clearly on the outs) and a conditional 6th. Not exactly a big price.
 

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