Is James Cook playing tonight? Bills RB's status revealed for Week 3 TNF vs. Dolphins

James Cook and the Buffalo Bills will look to build on their strong start to the season. They'll face the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on Thursday.

Buffalo defeated the New York Jets in Week 2 thanks to Cook's outstanding performance, recording 21 rushes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He'll head into Week 3 knowing he can put up better numbers against the struggling Dolphins rushing defense. It has allowed 139 yards per game in the team's first two matchups.

Let's find out if Cook is at risk of sitting out the Week 3 game after his monster performance on Sunday.

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Will James Cook play on TNF vs. the Miami Dolphins?

James Cook didn't appear on the Buffalo Bills' injury report this week, so he's expected to feature in Thursday's game against the Miami Dolphins. The fourth-year running back will look to follow up on his impressive performance last week.

Cook signed a four-year $48 million contract renewal with the Bills in the offseason after surpassing 1,000 rushing yards in 2023 and 2024. He has been the team's main rusher again this season. Cook is already tied for the most rushing touchdowns (three) in the league, and ranks fourth (176) in rushing yards after two games.

However, he has averaged over 37 yards per game in only six games against the Dolphins. Cook's best performance against them was on Thursday Night Football in 2024, when he recorded two rushing touchdowns and 78 yards on 11 rushes. He is hoping that his recent success and Miami's disappointing start to the season will work to his advantage.

While Cook will play, Buffalo defensive lineman Ed Oliver (ankle) and linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) have been ruled out. Cornerback Taron Johnson (quad), linebacker Shaq Thompson (hamstring/hand) and cornerback Cam Lewis (shoulder) are all questionable after their limited practice participation on Wednesday.

How to watch the Bills vs. Dolphins Week 3 TNF game?

Week 3 will begin on Thursday at Highmark Stadium, with the Buffalo Bills aiming to move up to 3-0 versus the winless Miami Dolphins.

Amazon Prime Video will stream the game at 8:15 p.m. ET. Play-by-play commentator Al Michaels, in-game analyst Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung are the announcers.

Game details:

Date and Time: Thursday, Sept. 18 at 8:15 p.m. ET

Location: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Live Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung

About the author

Habib Timileyin has been an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda for 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English, and found himself drawn to the NFL about a decade ago.

Habib's favorite team is the Cincinnati Bengals and he particularly enjoyed their run to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. The 2016 Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots is his most favorite of all time, and if given a chance to go back in time, he would love to witness the Patroits’ incredible comeback from being 28-3 down to winning 34-28.

Habib admires Tom Brady for his journey from being in a low draft position to achieving immense success in the game. His favorite coach of all time is Bill Belichick.

Habib likes to study intricate details of a story before reporting on it, and compares information among several reputable sources to ensure accuracy. When he's not writing about the NFL, Habib is likely watching Soccer, Basketball or enjoying a good movie on sports.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez