James Cook

Delayed gratification could be the theme for Buffalo Bills running back James Cook.

Expectations were understandably high when the Bills selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. Taking a running back that high is a strong endorsement.

And while Cook didn't have a prolific college career (230 carries, 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns in four seasons), his workload at Georgia meant his best days might be ahead of him.

Instead, the 23-year-old has run for 169 yards and one touchdown on 33 carries. His seven receptions for 96 yards have done little to help his fantasy football value.

The Bills also acquired Nyheim Hines from the Indianapolis Colts in the middle of the season. Through Hines has logged just 10 offensive snaps with Buffalo, that's bound to change because the team wouldn't have executed the trade if it didn't believe he'd play a meaningful role in the offense.

For fantasy football managers with Cook on their rosters, there isn't much reason to consider trading him now unless a rival manager is willing to go above and beyond in the deal.

Devin Singletary is a free agent in the offseason, and his return shouldn't be considered a foregone conclusion.

As well as Singletary has performed through his first four years in Buffalo, the Bills could easily prefer to lean on a younger replacement who also costs less in 2023. And if Singletary leaves, then Cook will be the primary beneficiary.

Should that become a reality, Cook's value will climb significantly ahead of next year. You could either move forward with him as a regular contributor in your lineup or sell relatively high in a trade.

According to FantasyPros, the default 2022 fantasy trade deadline is Nov. 19 in Yahoo and CBS fantasy leagues, while ESPN's is Nov. 30.

Attention fantasy football managers: James Cook is apparently turning heads at Buffalo Bills training camp.

Head coach Sean McDermott said the rookie running back has "opened some eyes" heading into the 2022 season, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. Buffalo selected Cook, who is the younger brother of Dalvin, with a second-round pick in the 2022 draft.

It isn't hard to find reasons to take a flier on the younger Cook in the middle to late rounds of a fantasy draft.

For one, the Bills likely wouldn't have drafted him as high as the second round if they weren't going to use him as a rookie. The team is also on the shortlist of realistic Super Bowl contenders and will likely win plenty of games, which could lead to a reliance on the rushing attack and plenty of red-zone opportunities.

Cook ran for 728 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 284 yards and four scores through the air in his final collegiate season with Georgia. He had 112 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in the College Football Playoff win over Michigan and ran for 77 yards on six carries in the national title game victory over Alabama.

Despite the potential and the production for the champion Bulldogs, there is also a clear fantasy ceiling on Cook in terms of his rookie season.

Devin Singletary is the surefire starter and was a fantasy football force down the stretch of the 2021 campaign with six touchdowns in the final four games of the regular season. He also found the end zone in the dramatic playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and is in the middle of his prime at 24 years old.

Zack Moss is also a factor after he carried it 112 times as a rookie in 2020 and 96 times last year.

Moss averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last season, so it wouldn't be a shock if Cook played his way above him on the depth chart. That would make him more of a fantasy weapon than perhaps anticipated, at least in his first season, but the presence of Singletary means he will still likely be a secondary option.

There wasn't a single running back selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday. This ends a seven-year run of ball-carriers being selected within the first 32 picks.

Two running backs still remaining on the board are Georgia's James Cook and Texas A&M's Isaiah Spiller. While both of them need some polishing, they can develop into serviceable players at the next level.

However, it's likely that both Cook and Spiller will be waiting to hear their names called beyond Day 2 of the draft. The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranks Spiller as the No. 11 running back and Cook as the No. 12 running back, respectively, in the class.

"Spiller has good height with an adequate build for the running back position. He likes to start and stop to set up his blockers, utilizing jump cuts before getting north. He is a competitive player who runs hard," Nate Tice wrote.

Spiller rushed for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns for the Aggies last season he was named to the All-SEC second team.

Cook, the brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, ran for 728 yards and seven scores. He also added 284 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

"Cook can create explosive plays as both a runner and a receiver from the running back position. He is a viable weapon as a pass catcher, with the ability to split out and create mismatches on linebackers asked to cover him," Tice wrote.

Both Spiller and Cook are projected as fourth-round selections, but there's a chance that someone snags them earlier than that.

The Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins were the bottom three teams in rush offense during the 2021 season, so they will surely be looking to bolster their backfield. A team like the New York Jets, whose running back room is led by second-year speedster Michael Carter, could be looking to add a depth piece. Spiller and Cook both fit that mold.

There are also contending teams that rely heavily on their passing attacks, so they could be looking to add balance. The Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all ranked in the bottom-third in the league in rush offense last year. Adding Spiller or Cook would help address those deficiencies.