Ray Davis

Despite looking like the surest bet the Bills had -- 6.5 yards a carry was three yards better than anyone else the Bills used -- the Bills bafflingly split Cook's workload and left him with just 33 of 73 total snaps. Cook keyed a go-ahead touchdown drive just after halftime when he led off the drive with three runs for 43 total yards, then made it into the end zone despite a fourth-and-1 playcall that left him having to levitate the ball over the goal line with a sudden burst of power after he appeared to be stopped short. Trailing 32-29, Cook did not see the ball once on Buffalo's final drive of the game, which feels like a pretty rough indictment of Joe Brady's game plan. Cook actually carried the ball 30 fewer times than last year despite Buffalo going to a run-heavy approach, but it's hard for his fantasy managers to complain after he turned in an NFL-high 16 rushing touchdowns despite working next to Josh Allen. Ray Davis likely will remain a thorn in Cook's side in 2025, but he can climb the low-end RB1 ranks with this kind of workload as long as nobody says the word "touchdown regression" too loudly.

He added one catch for no yards. Johnson will always have the ridiculous back-of-end-zone catch against the Broncos in the Wild Card Round to hold closely, but was a non-factor fantasy wise in the final two playoff games. Johnson hits free agency this offseason and would be a passable third-down back for another season in Buffalo should they wish to retain him. It likely depends on how the Bills feel about the work Ray Davis and James Cook have shown on passing downs this season. Johnson's snap counts (30 of 73 in this game, 400 on the season) tells the tale that he'll return.

A fumble on his second carry likely doomed him for the rest of the game despite Buffalo recovering, with the rookie back finishing with just nine snaps. Davis enters his second season in desperate need of a path to playing time. James Cook is in the final year of his rookie contract and improved exceptionally in his third season. Ty Johnson blocked him from the third-down role as Davis finished the year with just 11 snaps as a pass blocker. Johnson is a free agent, but if the Bills re-sign him or bring in another third-down back, it will be hard to understand Davis' 2025 upside in fantasy leagues beyond a Cook injury.

Bucky Irving has cemented himself as the best running back of the 2024 rookie class while Tyrone Tracy and Ray Davis are rising the ranks.

Davis fortuitously cleared the NFL's protocol in time for this one. He was needed to punch in the Bills' first touchdown via a two-yard run on his team's first possession. The bruising youngster averaged a team-high 7.3 yards per carry and returned one kickoff for 25 yards. He remains a touchdown-dependent DFS flex option against the Chiefs next week.