Fantasy Football: Stock Report for the Buffalo Bills after 2023 NFL Draft
Running Backs
James Cook
The overall stats for James Cook's rookie season weren't very impressive as he finished with only 507 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns with 21 receptions on 32 targets for 180 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.
However, he was very efficient with the work he did get as he had an excellent average of 5.7 yards per rushing attempt and a good average of 8.6 yards per reception. The hope will be that with an increased workload this season with the departure of Devin Singletary, James Cook should see his stock skyrocket.
The Buffalo Bills look like they are setting up to be even more pass-heavy this coming season which will certainly work in James Cook's favor as he is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. He has the potential to see 60-70% of the offensive snaps for the Bills and in a high scoring offense like this, he should easily finish in the Top 24 at running back.
Stock: Way Up
Damien Harris
The backfield won't be James Cook's alone as he will share some of the workload with Damien Harris, who the Bills signed as a free agent this offseason. The former New England Patriots running back is more of a power back and he should handle a majority of the short-yardage and goal-line work.
The addition of Damien Harris is good news for James Cook in the fact that he doesn't contribute much in the passing game so the 50+ targets vacated by Devin Singletary's departure should go almost exclusively to Cook. However, the addition of Harris is bad news for Cook (and Josh Allen) in that they are unlikely to see a lot of opportunities near the goal line.
It wouldn't be surprising by the end of the year to see Damien Harris have around 100 carries but close to 10 rushing touchdowns. He will be very touchdown dependent but could have some value depending on the matchup.