Is James Cook playing this week?
No injury designationJames Cook has no injury designation on the latest injury reports for the week 4 game against the New England Patriots.
Kickoff: Sun, Oct 4 · 1:00 PM ET.
Checked Oct 3, 7:48 PM ET against the ESPN injury report and the NFL's official weekly report (via nflverse). Injury news can change up to kickoff, so confirm with the team close to game time.
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Ask your own questionOur numbers plus what they can't show: injuries around him, role changes, weather, rest and travel, line moves and the latest reporting, all linked.
Fantasy football · Week 4
Our own start/sit calls for every player, with a projected score, the range of likely outcomes and the reasons spelled out. Built from usage, matchup, Vegas lines and injuries. How we rank
Must start. BUF's offense is expected to score about 28 points, a strong scoring spot.
Why we say must start
- Projected 16.5 points, #7 among RBs this week, inside the top 8 we call must-starts.
- BUF's offense is expected to score about 28 points, a strong scoring spot.
- Concern: NE's defense has allowed 13% fewer points to RBs than the league average.
- Averaging 19.3 carries and 2.7 targets a game.
- Played 67% of the offense's snaps last game.
Recent form
Dashed line: the usual 15.0 a game
This week's matchup
- Expected team score
- ~28 pts
- Vegas line
- BUF favored by 7
- Game total
- 49.5
- NE vs RBs
- 13% fewer points
- Last game snaps
- 67%
All week 4 running back rankings →Start or sit tool →How our past calls did →
Age
27
Height
5'11"
Weight
190 lb
College
Georgia
Experience
4 seasons
Draft
2022 · Pick #63 (BUF)
Status
ACT
Grade Breakdown
What do these mean?Why 93.0?
Cook grades 4th of 50 qualifying running backs because he gains a lot per touch and keeps drives on schedule. His rushing success rate is 2nd best, and his expected points per touch rank 7th even against tougher-than-average defenses. The sample is small: 66 touches over 3 games.
Lifting the grade
- EPA per touch of +0.095 expected points, 7th of 50, with extra credit for facing tougher defenses.
- Rushing success rate of 52%, 2nd of 50 (the share of carries that kept the offense on schedule).
- Week 2 vs DET: a 35-yard run at left guard in Q2 and a 22-yard run in Q4 that went to the DET 1, each worth +2.3 expected points.
Written by StatGrades AI from this season's play-by-play through week 4. It explains what happened; a grade isn't a forecast (what grades do and don't predict).
EPA / play
0.094
Success rate
52%
WPA (sum)
0.21
Opponent adj.
0.045
Plays graded
66
Advanced stats
2026 season through Week 3 · tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats| Week | Rush yds over expected | Yds over exp / att | Vs 8+ in the box |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +6.9 | +0.53 | 7.7% |
| 2 | +49.5 | +2.48 | 52.4% |
| 3 | +8.5 | +0.35 | 20.8% |
What do these mean?
- Rush yds over expected:
- Rushing yards above what the blocking and defenders in each carry would be expected to produce.
- Yds over exp / att:
- Rush yards over expected per carry.
- Carries over expected:
- Share of carries that gained more than expected.
- Expected rush yds:
- Yards the carries would be expected to gain on average, based on tracking data.
- Efficiency:
- Distance traveled per yard gained. Lower means a more direct, north-south runner.
- Vs 8+ in the box:
- Share of carries against eight or more defenders near the line.
- Time to line:
- Average seconds from the handoff to reaching the line of scrimmage.
Next Gen Stats data via nflverse (CC BY 4.0). Updated after games are final, not live, and covers QB, RB, WR and TE.