JamesCook III

News: 16 hours agoCook rushed 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target in the Bills' 23-6 win over the Vikings on Monday night.

Spin: Cook was repeatedly stonewalled through three quarters by a Vikings run defense that had been fairly beatable, but the star running back continued to get opportunities to test Minnesota's defensive front. That approach finally began paying off on an early fourth-quarter marathon scoring drive, one where Cook recorded runs of nine, six and 11 yards before capping off the march with a five-yard scoring rush to extend Buffalo's 13-6 lead. Cook ultimately fell just a carry short of tying his career high, and he eclipsed the century mark on the ground for the fourth time this season. The fifth-year pro's trip to the end zone extended his touchdown streak to seven games as well, and Cook will head into a favorable Week 10 road matchup against the Jets just 186 rushing yards short of his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Cook signed a contract extension last offseason and was immediately vaulted into the biggest role of his career. The 2022 second-round NFL draft pick finished in the top five among backs in carries, rushing yards (league-high 1,621), touchdowns and yards per carry (5.25). The one limiting factor in Cook's fantasy output was a minimal receiving role (his 40 targets ranked 26th among RBs), but he still came through with a sixth-place finish in fantasy points. The 26-year-old is set to play the same role in Joe Brady's scheme and will be a candidate for his third straight double-digit touchdown campaign as long as Josh Allen is under center. Consider Cook a midrange RB1.