Fantasy Football Analyst labels James Cook 2025’s top bust candidate despite 18-TD season - "Screams regression"

James Cook is coming off of a career-best fantasy football season last year with the Buffalo Bills. He rushed for 1,009 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also adding another 258 receiving yards and two more touchdowns. He finished the year as the overall RB8, cracking into the top ten running backs for the first time in his career so far.

While some may be excited about targeting Cook in fantasy football drafts this year, ESPN's Tyler Fulghum is not as optimistic about his 2025 outlook. In fact, he picked the Bills running back as one of his top bust candidates for the upcoming season, per SI.

Fulghum explained:

"James Cook screams regression candidate in 2025, especially with his ADP hovering around RB10 to RB12. Despite scoring a combined nine total TDs in his first two seasons, Cook exploded in 2024 with 18 total TDs, including a league-leading 16 on the ground. With Josh Allen continuing to dominate goal-line work and second-year RB Ray Davis earning more opportunities, Cook's touchdown rate relative to his volume of touches is simply not sustainable."

While totaling 1,267 scrimmage yards is solid for a fantasy football running back, it was really James Cook's 18 touchdowns that resulted in him finishing as the RB8 last year. This is a major red flag for Tyler Fulghum, who believes the touchdown total was an outlier, and considering the Bills' other offensive options, this is likely to decrease significantly in the 2025 NFL season.

James Cook's contract could affect his 2025 fantasy football outlook

James Cook (image credit: Getty)

James Cook has been reportedly seeking a contract extension with the Buffalo Bills ahead of the 2025 NFL season. He is currently entering the final year of his rookie deal and is apparently trying to avoid playing out the final season. He could also be trying to cash in on his breakout performance from last season, which included him leading the league in rushing touchdowns.

The Bills have yet to give Cook what he has been allegedly seeking as training camps are getting set to officially open in the coming days. It will be interesting to see what Cook does if he doesn't get an extension before then. Some players in this situation choose to hold out or demand trades.

If this is the case for Cook, it could drastically impact his 2025 fantasy football outlook. Missing time for the Bills will reduce his overall workload this year, while potentially being traded comes with a ton of unknowns. Team situations have major implications on fantasy value, so unless a resolution is found soon, Cook will be extremely risky in fantasy drafts this year.