If you’re still thinking of James Cook as just "Dalvin’s little brother" or some niche pass-catching back, honestly, you haven’t been watching the Buffalo Bills lately. The guy just won the 2025 NFL rushing title. Let that sink in for a second. In a league with Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, and Saquon Barkley, it was the kid from Georgia who chewed up 1,621 yards on the ground.
Basically, Cook has transformed from a change-of-pace player into the absolute engine of Joe Brady’s offense. But the raw totals don't tell the whole story. To really understand his value—especially for fantasy owners or Bills fans trying to win an argument—you have to look at the james cook stats per game and how he actually produces those numbers. It’s not always a straight line.
The 2025 Breakout: By the Numbers
Last season was a marathon for Cook. He suited up for all 17 regular-season games, which is a feat in itself for a back who weighs around 190 pounds. He handled 309 carries. That’s a massive workload.
Most people look at the 1,621 rushing yards and think he was just consistently good every week. Kinda. But he had some absolute monster games that skewed the averages. Take Week 8 against Carolina, for instance. He went off for 216 yards and two touchdowns. That’s a career high and the most by a Bill since O.J. Simpson in the 70s.
On average, he was giving you about 95.4 rushing yards per game. When you add in his work as a receiver, his scrimmage yards per game climbed to roughly 112.5. That’s elite territory.
Why the Per Game Consistency Matters
Buffalo was 11-1 in games where Cook hit at least 100 scrimmage yards. They were 1-4 when he didn't.
It’s pretty clear: when James Cook gets fed, the Bills win. His efficiency stayed high too, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Even when defenses knew the run was coming, he was finding lanes. He finished with 12 games of 100-plus scrimmage yards, tying for the most in the NFL.
James Cook Stats Per Game: A Deep Dive into the 2024-2025 Splits
To see how he evolved, you have to look back at the 2024 season versus the 2025 campaign. In 2024, he was a touchdown machine, screaming past people for 16 rushing TDs. However, his yardage was lower—he just barely cracked 1,000 yards.
In 2025, the touchdowns "regressed" to 12 on the ground, but his volume skyrocketed.
Home vs. Road Performance
You'd think playing in the Orchard Park wind would hurt a speed back, right? Actually, he was a road warrior.
- Road Games: 972 rushing yards (8 games) – that’s a ridiculous 121.5 yards per game.
- Home Games: 649 rushing yards (9 games) – about 72.1 yards per game.
Why the gap? A lot of it comes down to game script. On the road, the Bills often found themselves in tighter contests or playing on turf surfaces where Cook’s lateral quickness is just unfair. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry away from home compared to 4.3 at Highmark Stadium.
The Quarter-by-Quarter Grind
James Cook isn't just a first-half player. While he did a ton of damage early—averaging 6.4 yards per carry in the first quarter—he was often the closer. In the fourth quarter, his yardage dipped to 3.4 per carry, but that’s largely because he was running into stacked boxes while the Bills were killing the clock.
He had 162 carries in the second half of games last year. That’s "bell-cow" usage, plain and simple.
The Receiving Myth
There’s this weird narrative that Cook is a "receiving back." While he’s good at it, his receiving stats actually took a slight dip in 2025. He caught 33 passes for 291 yards.
Compare that to 2023, where he had 44 catches for 445 yards. The Bills started using him more as a traditional north-south runner. Joe Brady realized that Cook’s vision is his best trait, not just his hands. He’s better at pressing the line of scrimmage and making a linebacker miss in the hole than he is running choice routes all day.
Still, he averaged about 17 receiving yards per game, which provides a nice floor if you’re looking at this from a fantasy perspective.
Red Zone Usage and the "Vulture" Problem
We have to talk about Josh Allen. Every James Cook owner knows the pain of watching Cook drive the team 70 yards downfield only for Allen to "vulture" a 1-yard TD run.
In 2024, it felt like Cook was winning that battle with 16 rushing scores. In 2025, he had 12. It’s still a high number, but he definitely loses work to Allen and Ray Davis near the goal line. Davis, the bruising back out of Kentucky, took 58 carries last year, many of them in short-yardage situations.
Cook’s average near the goal line (the 1-to-19 yard line) was just 2.6 yards per carry. He’s much more dangerous from the 20-yard line out, where he can use his 4.4 speed to outrun safeties.
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Career Trajectory: Where He Stands Now
Cook has now put up three straight seasons of 1,000+ rushing yards. Only Thurman Thomas and O.J. Simpson have done that in Bills history.
Career Stats Summary
- 2022: 507 yards (Backup role to Devin Singletary)
- 2023: 1,122 yards (The "Breakout" year)
- 2024: 1,009 yards (The "Touchdown" year)
- 2025: 1,621 yards (The "Rushing King" year)
His career average sits at 5.1 yards per carry. That is remarkably consistent. Usually, when a back's volume goes up, their efficiency goes down. Cook actually saw his YPC rise from 4.9 in 2024 to 5.2 in 2025 despite having over 100 more carries.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Fantasy Players
If you’re looking at James Cook for the 2026 season, don't let the "regression" talk scare you. People said he’d regress after 2024, and he went out and won the rushing title.
Watch the Surface: Cook is significantly more explosive on turf. When the Bills play in domes or on artificial grass, his ceiling for a 150-yard game goes through the roof.
The 20-Carry Mark: In 2025, when Cook had 20 or more carries, the Bills were nearly unbeatable. He’s no longer a "15-touch" guy. He can handle 25 touches and get stronger as the game goes on.
Postseason Value: In the 2024 playoffs, he averaged 90 rushing yards per game over three games. He’s proven he doesn't disappear when the lights get bright.
If you want to track his progress, keep an eye on his "Success Rate"—it was 45.6% in 2025. That means nearly half of his runs put the Bills in a "winning" situation based on down and distance. That’s the kind of consistency that keeps a player on the field and keeps the james cook stats per game at the top of the leaderboards.
To stay ahead of the curve, monitor the Bills' offensive line health entering next season. Cook's 1,016 yards after contact last year were a career best, but he relies on those initial lanes to reach top speed. If the interior of that line stays intact, there is no reason he can't challenge for another rushing title.