Start De'Von Achane or James Cook III? Week 2

Our Week 2 call

Start James Cook III over De'Von Achane in Week 2.

De-vigged player props project James Cook III at 17.2 points and De'Von Achane at 13.6, a gap of 3.7. Drafters take James Cook III at ADP 12 and De'Von Achane at 11.

What the books imply

Player prop markets imply 17.2 fantasy points for James Cook III, with 100 percent of the markets a RB needs posted.

Player prop markets imply 13.6 fantasy points for De'Von Achane, with 100 percent of the markets a RB needs posted.

That puts James Cook III 3.7 points ahead of De'Von Achane on the books.

Week 2 matchups

James Cook III and BUF host DET on Thursday at 8:15 PM ET.

DET allowed 25.0 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 12th most in the league.

Running backs ran for 80 yards and a touchdown against DET and caught passes for 30 more yards.

De'Von Achane and MIA visit SF on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.

SF allowed 24.3 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 14th most in the league.

Running backs ran for 114 yards and a touchdown against SF and caught passes for 29 more yards.

By points allowed to the position, James Cook III has the softer matchup.

Injury status

James Cook III is not on the injury report.

De'Von Achane is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 2

Through Week 1, James Cook III played 72 percent of BUF snaps, took 65 percent of the carries, drew 14 percent of the targets and had 43 percent of the red zone chances.

James Cook III, Week 1 against HOU: 42 of 58 snaps, 13 carries for 57 yards, 4 targets and 3 catches for 12 yards.

Through Week 1, De'Von Achane played 86 percent of MIA snaps, took 61 percent of the carries, drew 19 percent of the targets and had 75 percent of the red zone chances.

De'Von Achane, Week 1 against LV: 48 of 56 snaps, 11 carries for 36 yards, 5 targets and 4 catches for 30 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

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

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

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

James Cook III, Week 18 of 2025 against NYJ: 2 carries for 15 yards, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards, 1.5 PPR points.

James Cook III, Week 17 of 2025 against PHI: 39 of 76 snaps, 20 carries for 74 yards, 4 targets and 1 catch for 3 yards, 8.7 PPR points.

In 2025, De'Von Achane played 16 games for MIA and scored 322.8 PPR points, 20.2 a game, finishing RB5.

He ran 238 times for 1350 yards and 8 touchdowns, and caught 67 of 85 targets for 488 yards.

He was on the field for 75 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

De'Von Achane, Week 17 of 2025 against TB: 41 of 55 snaps, 18 carries for 83 yards, 3 targets and 3 catches for 29 yards, 14.2 PPR points.

De'Von Achane, Week 16 of 2025 against CIN: 42 of 59 snaps, 15 carries for 81 yards, 3 targets and 3 catches for 9 yards, 1 touchdown, 18.0 PPR points.

Their other Week 2 calls

• Start Bijan Robinson over James Cook III.
• Start James Cook III over Chase Brown.
• Start Christian McCaffrey over James Cook III.
• Start Bijan Robinson over De'Von Achane.
• Start Chase Brown over De'Von Achane.
• Start Christian McCaffrey over De'Von Achane.