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The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast on James Cook

Podcast1112: Early-Season Schedule AnalysisCaptured August 1, 2026
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The Bills open up their season against the Texans, the Lions, the Chargers, the Patriots, and the Rams. That's really tough...if they do find themselves in that situation, James Cook becomes a little bit riskier. Largely because last year...Cook played fewer than 10% of the Bills long down and distance snaps.
Mentioned at 9:06 – 10:30

STACKED’s take

Negative signalMatchup

Cook's tough early schedule risks negative game scripts; limited long-down snap usage last year creates vulnerability.

JJ Zachariason warns that the Bills' tough early-season schedule (Texans, Lions, Chargers, Patriots, Rams) could create negative game scripts for Cook. Last year, Cook played fewer than 10% of long down-and-distance snaps and fewer than 30% of two-minute snaps. While there are reports of increased passing game usage this year, which would elevate his profile, the tough schedule creates some risk. Zachariason notes the Bills themselves are good enough to flip scripts, but it's something to monitor specifically with Cook.

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