James Cook Stats vs. Miami Dolphins: Why He’s A Must-Start in Week 3

James Cook has crushed the first two weeks of 2025 and boasts a perfect matchup against the winless Dolphins, making him a top RB1 start for Week 3 fantasy lineups.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) reacts to scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

James Cook has dominated the first two weeks of the season and there’s no reason to expect anything different tonight as his undefeated Buffalo Bills face the winless Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. 

Cook erupted in Week 2 against the New York Jets, finishing as the RB2 in PPR formats after torching Gang Green for over 100 rushing yards and two scores in a lopsided Bills win. Through two weeks, he sits atop all running backs with 47.7 PPR points—just edging out Christian McCaffrey—while averaging an impressive 23.9 points per game. The guy they call “Jimbo” up in Northern New York has racked up 176 rushing yards on 34 carries (5.2 YPC), three rushing touchdowns, and added 61 scoreless receiving yards on six receptions. He’s rewarding Buffalo for locking him up with a new contract.

Now the Bills turn around on a short week for a Thursday night clash with the Dolphins—a dream matchup for Cook. Miami has surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, and that includes Rhamondre Stevenson running wild for 100+ yards from scrimmage last week. While Jonathan Taylor failed to find the end zone against Miami in Week 1, he did finish with 98 yards from scrimmage, and quarterback Daniel Jones rushed for two touchdowns, signaling that this defense is exposed in the red zone against opposing rushing attacks. The Dolphins have been particularly vulnerable to dump-offs and screens, an area where Cook could carve them up if Buffalo leans that way. 

James Cook Historical Stats Against The Miami Dolphins

According to StatMuse, Cook has played six career games against the Dolphins. He’s never seen more than 16 touches in a single contest against Miami and in his rookie season, Cook only saw one carry and five carries in his two meetings with the Dolphins. Still, the veteran has enjoyed success against his AFC East rival. Despite limited touches in his rookie season, Cook is still averaging 8.7 carries for 37.3 rushing yards and 0.5 rushing touchdowns per game, while adding 2.7 receptions for an additional 24.7 receiving yards, and 0.3 receiving touchdowns per game. That’s good for approximately 13.5 fantasy points. 

And don’t forget that in their Week 2 meeting last season, Cook produced a nuclear stat line, finishing with 11 carries for 78 rushing yards (7.1 yards per carry), and two touchdown rushes, while adding a 17-yard touchdown reception to finish with a monstrous 28.5 fantasy points. He was the RB3 that week, behind Alvin Kamara (44 PPR points) and De’Von Achane (29.5 PPR points).  

James Cook went off vs. Miami last season. Think he can do it again? 👀

MIAvsBUF– Thursday 8:15pm ET on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/r2MvcCcjEG

— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2025

James Cook Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlook

Although Cook has never cracked 100 scrimmage yards against the Dolphins, tonight could be the night. With Buffalo favored by a hefty 11.5 points, the Bills are likely to feed him early and often. Once they build a lead, Cook stands to benefit as the team leans on the run to chew clock. The only potential issue is that Ray Davis might vulture a few goal-line touches if the lead is too big. However, we anticipate the Dolphins keeping this game competitive enough for Cook to remain firmly in the spotlight.

Senior Fantasy Football Expert Shawn Childs projects Cook to tally 79 rushing yards and catch three passes for an additional 30 yards while finding the end zone. 

James Cook 2025 Preseason Analysis

Senior Fantasy Football Expert Shawn Childs had this to say about Cook heading into the 2025 NFL season:

Cook comes off a regression season in touches (239 – 281) while missing one game with a toe issue in Week 5. His step back in touches was due to Buffalo rotating in two other backs. Despite his weaker opportunity, the Bills beefed up his value in scoring (21 touchdowns – including the postseason). They had him on the field for 44.9% of their plays.

He finished eighth in running back scoring (266.70) in PPR formats, averaging 1.09 fantasy points per touch. Cook was at his best in five matchups (28.50, 28.30, 26.30, 27.60, and 28.40 fantasy points), helped by a floor of two scores in each game. Buffalo gave him 15.7 touches per game for his 19 starts, highlighted by six games (23, 22, 20, 20, 23, and 20). 

Cook’s scoring accounted for 40.9% of his fantasy points (266.70) in PPR formats last season. He ranks 14th at running back in early May in the high-stakes market. His floor should be about 1,300 combined yards, with a wide scoring range. Cook helps his fantasy value in catches, but he must see more chances to be consistent weekly. I expect the fantasy market to continue to fade his previous success, making him a player who falls into the steady value category.

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So far, Childs has been dead right about Cook being a value in the fantasy market. His stock should only increase after another strong showing in primetime tonight against Miami. DFS players should absolutely consider utilizing him in DraftKings or FanDuel Showdown lineups tonight.