Should I start James Cook III or Bucky Irving in Week 8?

The market-based projections

James Cook III's market-based projection is 16.6 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 27th highest figure of the 209 players with a market-based projection.

Bucky Irving's market-based projection is 15.8 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 36th highest figure of the 209 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on James Cook III, and the board ranks him 9th overall on the rest of his evidence.

By format he goes standard: ADP 2; 2QB: ADP 10.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Bucky Irving, and the board ranks him 11th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season so far

Through Week 6, James Cook III has been on the field for 67 percent of BUF snaps, taken 70 percent of the carries, drawn 9 percent of the targets and had 39 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 1 of the offence's 42 third down targets, had 8 of its 19 chances inside the five and seen 1 of its 25 two minute targets.

His 14 targets have come 1.0 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.

In Week 4 against NE he carried 12 times for 75 yards, caught 2 of 2 targets for 8 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 5 against LAR he carried 25 times for 111 yards, caught 1 of 1 target for 7 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

In Week 6 against LV he carried 22 times for 95 yards, caught 3 of 3 targets for 58 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Through Week 7, Bucky Irving has been on the field for 64 percent of TB snaps, taken 59 percent of the carries, drawn 12 percent of the targets and had 40 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 4 of the offence's 57 third down targets, had 5 of its 13 chances inside the five and seen 1 of its 44 two minute targets.

His 23 targets have come 2.0 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.

In Week 5 against DAL he carried 21 times for 165 yards, caught 2 of 3 targets for 10 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

In Week 6 against PIT he carried 19 times for 46 yards, caught 2 of 3 targets for 3 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against CAR he carried 24 times for 106 yards, caught 1 of 2 targets for 4 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 James Cook III played 17 games and scored 302.2 PPR points, 17.8 a game, finishing RB6.

He carried 309 times for 1621 yards and 12 touchdowns, and caught 33 of 40 targets for 291 more yards.

That came to 18.2 carries a game at 5.2 yards a carry and 1.9 catches a game.

He was on the field for 60 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Bucky Irving played 10 games and scored 138.5 PPR points, 13.9 a game, finishing RB34.

He carried 173 times for 588 yards and 1 touchdown, and caught 30 of 35 targets for 277 more yards.

That came to 17.3 carries a game at 3.4 yards a carry and 3.0 catches a game.

He was on the field for 62 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

James Cook III was available for 7 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 James Cook III scored 17.8 PPR points a game and Bucky Irving 13.9, 3.9 a game between them.

James Cook III finished RB6 that year and Bucky Irving RB34.

James Cook III had 136 more carries than Bucky Irving, 309 to 173.

James Cook III had 3 more catches than Bucky Irving, 33 to 30.

This season James Cook III holds the bigger snap share, 67 percent against 64 percent.

This season James Cook III holds the bigger share of the carries, 70 percent against 59 percent.

Byes and availability

James Cook III is off in Week 7 and Bucky Irving in Week 10, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.9 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.