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Deebo Samuel Sr. or James Cook

Who Should I Start? - Week 1 • Start New
Deebo Samuel Sr.

Deebo Samuel Sr.

WR • n/a
James Cook

James Cook

RB • Buffalo Bills BUF
OR
🔓 EXPERT ANALYSIS

Owners starting Samuel Sr. over Cook

 
 
 
 
START BOTH START BENCH BOTH BN

Includes Detailed Projections

Learn More
Outlook Deebo Samuel Sr.

Declining Ownership Trends Signal a High-Risk, High-Reward Bet for the Veteran Dual-Threat

Deebo Samuel Sr. enters his eighth NFL season looking to stabilize his fantasy footprint after transitioning to Washington last year. In 2025, he logged a solid 72 receptions for 727 yards and five touchdowns across 16 games. However, his dual-threat capability took a hit as his rushing role scaled back to just 17 attempts.

Our data highlights a steady decline in fantasy manager confidence over the past month, with his ownership rate sliding down to 33% and active starting rates sitting at 15%. This suggests managers are increasingly wary of his weekly ceiling as he enters his age-30 season.

Despite the falling market sentiment, he still averaged a respectable 10.1 yards per catch last season. While he no longer profiles as a locked-in weekly starter, he remains an intriguing bench stash with flex appeal if his usage spikes.

Updated 10 hrs ago

Latest News Deebo Samuel Sr.
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🔓 EXPERT ANALYSIS

Owners starting Cook over Samuel Sr.

 
 
 
 
START BOTH START BENCH BOTH BN

Includes Detailed Projections

Learn More
Outlook James Cook

Unquestioned Lead Role and New Coaching Energy Position Buffalo's Workhorse for a Career Year

James Cook enters the season as the undisputed leader of the Bills backfield, sitting comfortably atop the depth chart ahead of backup Ray Davis. After registering a massive 326 carries last season, our models project Cook to remain heavily involved with 267 carries and 1,368 rushing yards. He is poised to thrive under head coach Joe Brady, whose offensive philosophy has injected new energy into Buffalo's attack.

In draft lobbies, Cook's ADP has shown remarkable stability, stubbornly holding at a premium spot of 9.00 in PPR formats. Fantasy managers are eagerly paying this first-round price, recognizing his combination of high-volume rushing and reliable target share. Our projections view this expensive market cost as completely justified, especially with an expected bump to 10 rushing touchdowns.

While his pass-catching numbers may stabilize, his consolidated hold on high-value touches makes him a weekly cornerstone. With a robust own rate of 100%, Cook is a locked-in RB1 who offers a secure weekly floor and championship-winning ceiling.

Updated 10 hrs ago

Latest News James Cook
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Next Up ❱ Performance Comparison
Performance Deebo Samuel Sr.
Fantasy Chart Loading...

REC YDS AVG LONG TD
00000
Season stats based on the past 7 days

REC YDS AVG LONG TD
00000
Season stats based on the past 14 days
Performance James Cook
Fantasy Chart Loading...

ATT YDS AVG TD REC YDS TD
0000000
Season stats based on the past 7 days

ATT YDS AVG TD REC YDS TD
0000000
Season stats based on the past 14 days
Next Up ❱ Redzone Touches
Redzone Touches Deebo Samuel Sr.
REDZONE
WK OPP ATT TAR REC
1 🔓 🔓 🔓
2 🔓 🔓 🔓
3 🔓 🔓 🔓
4 🔓 🔓 🔓
5 🔓 🔓 🔓
6 🔓 🔓 🔓
7 🔓 🔓 🔓
8 🔓 🔓 🔓
9 🔓 🔓 🔓
10 🔓 🔓 🔓
11 🔓 🔓 🔓
13 🔓 🔓 🔓
14 🔓 🔓 🔓
15 🔓 🔓 🔓
16 🔓 🔓 🔓
17 🔓 🔓 🔓
18 🔓 🔓 🔓

Redzone data is for premium members only.

Redzone Touches James Cook
REDZONE
WK OPP ATT TAR REC
1 @HOU 🔓 🔓 🔓
2 DET 🔓 🔓 🔓
3 LAC 🔓 🔓 🔓
4 NE 🔓 🔓 🔓
5 @LAR 🔓 🔓 🔓
6 @LV 🔓 🔓 🔓
8 BYE 🔓 🔓 🔓
9 BAL 🔓 🔓 🔓
10 @MIN 🔓 🔓 🔓
11 @NYJ 🔓 🔓 🔓
12 MIA 🔓 🔓 🔓
12 KC 🔓 🔓 🔓
13 @NE 🔓 🔓 🔓
14 @GB 🔓 🔓 🔓
15 CHI 🔓 🔓 🔓
16 @DEN 🔓 🔓 🔓
17 @MIA 🔓 🔓 🔓
18 NYJ 🔓 🔓 🔓
19 🔓 🔓 🔓
20 🔓 🔓 🔓

Redzone data is for premium members only.

Next Up ❱ Own/Start Comparison
OWN/START Deebo Samuel Sr.
OWN
33%
-4.71 compared to last week
START
15%
-5.93 compared to last week
OWN/START James Cook
OWN
100%
No change since last week.
START
98%
No change since last week.
Next Up ❱ Consensus Rankings
Expert Consensus Deebo Samuel Sr.
Not Ranked
Average Ranking of Fantasy Experts
Expert Consensus James Cook
4th
Average Ranking of Fantasy Experts
Next Up ❱ Player Breakdowns
Breakdown Deebo Samuel Sr.

    Overview

  • Experts don't even rank him among WR's. Either he is on a bye week or is just plain bad. Based on his stats from the past 30 days, he is currently ranked 35th with 116.20 total points (6.84 avg).
  • Currently 193.1 points behind the leader: Puka Nacua
  • Average points in the past two weeks have dipped quite a bit at 6.8.

    • Receiving Stats

  • Top 20 in receptions and is currently ranked 20th among WR.
  • Top 35 in targets and is currently ranked 34th among WR.
  • Top 35 in reception yards with 727 and 10.10 YPC and is currently ranked 34th among WR.
  • Top 35 in Rec TDs with 5 and is currently ranked 34th among WR.

    • Rushing Stats

  • Top 3 in rush attempts with 17 (1.00 per game) and is currently ranked 2nd among WR.
  • Top 10 in rush yards with 75 (4.41 per game) and is currently ranked 9th among WR.
  • Top 10 in rush tds with 1 (0.06 per game) and is currently ranked 9th among WR.

    • Bonus Qualities

  • At this point in the season his numbers compared to last years: Receptions: +21, Rec Yards: +57 Rec TDs: +2,
Breakdown James Cook

    Overview

  • Just about every team utilizies the dreaded 'running backs by comittee' policy. Two solid #1 starters are hard to find.
  • Experts rank this player at 4th among RB's. Based on his stats from the past 30 days, he is currently ranked 4th with 305.30 total points (15.27 avg).
  • Currently 60.3 points behind the leader: Christian McCaffrey
  • Wow, would you look at that. The experts got it right on the money.
  • Average points in the past two weeks have dipped quite a bit at 15.3.

    • Receiving Stats

  • Top 25 in receptions and is currently ranked 24th among RB.
  • Top 35 in targets and is currently ranked 26th among RB.
  • Top 20 in Rec TDs with 2 and is currently ranked 17th among RB.
  • Top 6 in red zone attempts and is currently ranked 6th among RB.

    • Rushing Stats

  • Top 6 in rush attempts with 326 (18.11 per game) and is currently ranked 4th among RB.
  • Top 3 in rush yards with 1737 (96.50 per game) and is currently ranked 1st among RB.
  • Top 6 in rush tds with 13 (0.72 per game) and is currently ranked 5th among RB.

    • Bonus Qualities

  • Played in 3 more games this year than last year.
  • At this point in the season his numbers compared to last years: Rush Yards: +883, Rush AVG: +0.4 Rush TDs: -2, Receptions: +5, Rec Yards: +59 Rec TDs: EVEN,
  • His touches per game on the ground are great.
  • Unfortunately two players have the same exact name and his rating may not be entirely accurate at this point. We are working on fixing situations like this!

    • Season Outlook

  • RUSH ATT: 267, RUSH YDS: 1368, RUSH TDS: 10, REC: 33, REC YDS: 269, REC TDS: 2
Next Up ❱ Health Check
Injury Deebo Samuel Sr.

No Injury Reported

Injury James Cook

No Injury Reported

Next Up ❱ Matchup Comparison
Matchups Deebo Samuel Sr.

Week 1
n/a VS n/a

TACK SOLO INT SACK DEF TD FSP
0.00
Compare to same point last season

Overview

  • He has missed playing in at least 2 games but is not listed on the injury report as of today. Check out his player news to see if he has any nagging injuries.

Bonus Qualities

  • At this point in the season his numbers compared to last years:
Matchups James Cook

Week 1
Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans

PA/G YDS/G TO INT SACK TDs FSP
17.32288.1634215664.48
Compare to same point last season

Overview

  • Experts don"t even rank him among DST's. Either he is on a bye week or is just plain bad. Based on his stats from the past 30 days, he is currently ranked 2nd with 196.00 total points (10.32 avg).
  • Currently 31 points behind the leader: Seahawks DST
  • Average points in the past two weeks have dipped quite a bit at 10.3.

Defensive Stats

  • Top 6 in total yards against with 322.06 per game and is currently ranked 5th among DST.
  • Top 4 in turnovers with 29 (1.71 per game) and is currently ranked 3rd among DST.
  • Top 4 in rush defense with 1736 (102.12 per game) and is currently ranked 4th among DST.
  • Top 10 in pass defense with 3739 (219.94 per game) and is currently ranked 10th among DST.
  • Top 8 in sacks with 47 (2.76 per game) and currently ranked 7th among DST.
  • Top 4 in interceptions with 19 (1.12 per game) and currently ranked 3rd among DST.
  • Top 2 in points against with 17.35 per game and currently ranked 2nd among DST.
  • Top 8 in Total TDs with 4 (0.24 per game) and currently ranked 7th among DST.

Bonus Qualities

  • At this point in the season his numbers compared to last years: Total Yards Against: +5.41, Turnovers: +1 Sacks: -7, INTs: -2, TDs: -2, Points Allowed: -3.73,
  • Unfortunately two players have the same exact name and his rating may not be entirely accurate at this point. We are working on fixing situations like this!

Season Outlook

  • SACK: 46, INT: 14, TDS: 3, PA/G: 18.4, YDS/G: 294.6
Next Up ❱ Ratings Comparison
Rating Deebo Samuel Sr.
8.05
FantasySP Player Rating
Rating James Cook
28.99
FantasySP Player Rating
Next Up ❱ Career Comparison
Career Deebo Samuel Sr.
RECEIVING RUSH
YEAR TEAM GP TGTS REC YD AVG TD ATT YD AVG TD
2024 SF 14 81 51 670 13.1 3 42 136 3.2 1
2025 WAS 16 99 72 727 10.1 5 17 75 4.4 1
3-YEAR AVG 10 60 41 466 11.4 3 20 70 3.6 1
Totals 30 180 123 1397 11.4 8 59 211 3.6 2
Career James Cook
RUSH RECEIVING
YEAR TEAM GP ATT YD AVG TD TGTS REC YD AVG TD
2022 BUF 16 91 525 5.8 2 33 21 180 8.6 1
2023 BUF 16 237 1122 4.7 2 54 44 445 10.1 4
2024 BUF 16 207 1009 4.9 16 38 32 258 8.1 2
2025 BUF 16 326 1737 5.3 13 43 36 304 8.4 2
3-YEAR AVG 19 286 1427 5 11 50 42 366 8.7 3
Totals 77 1006 5020 5 37 189 151 1306 8.6 9
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Matchups

Week 1
ARI @LAC
ATL @PIT
BAL @IND
BUF @HOU
CAR vs CHI
CIN vs TB
CLE @JAC
DAL @NYG
DEN @KC
DET vs NO
GB @MIN
LAR vs SF
LV vs MIA
NE @SEA
NYJ @TEN
PHI vs WAS
Matchup Time Pitchers
ARI vs STL 04:10 EDT EST
ATH vs WAS 10:05 EDT EST
ATL vs TEX 04:10 EDT EST
BAL @HOU 04:10 EDT EST
BOS vs TB 04:10 EDT EST
CHC vs MIN 02:20 EDT EST
CHW @TOR 03:07 EDT EST
CIN @COL 03:10 EDT EST
CLE vs PIT 01:10 EDT EST
DET @LAA 10:07 EDT EST
KC vs SD 04:10 EDT EST
LAD @NYY 08:08 EDT EST
MIA @MIL 04:10 EDT EST
NYM @PHI 04:05 EDT EST
SEA vs SF 08:08 EDT EST
Matchup Time
No games scheduled
Matchup Time
No games scheduled