James Cook
RB · BUF
· ESPN
· Pro Football Reference
Box score by season
| Season | Team | G | Rush | Rush yds | TD | Tgt | Rec | Rec yds | TD | vs ESPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | BUF | 6 | 117 | 627 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 89 | 0 | 1 differ (Targets 14 vs 15) |
| 2025 | BUF | 17 | 309 | 1,621 | 12 | 40 | 33 | 291 | 2 | ✓ matches |
| 2025 playoffs | BUF | 2 | 39 | 163 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 29 | 0 | |
| 2024 | BUF | 16 | 207 | 1,009 | 16 | 38 | 32 | 258 | 2 | not checked |
| 2024 playoffs | BUF | 3 | 53 | 272 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 64 | 0 | |
| 2023 | BUF | 17 | 237 | 1,122 | 2 | 54 | 44 | 445 | 4 | not checked |
| 2023 playoffs | BUF | 2 | 36 | 140 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2022 | BUF | 16 | 89 | 507 | 2 | 32 | 21 | 180 | 1 | not checked |
| 2022 playoffs | BUF | 2 | 17 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official scoring from play-by-play. Regular-season totals for 2025, 2026 are compared with ESPN's after every rebuild (all players); earlier seasons aren't checked.
Advanced
Targets
40
qualifying bar 32
EPA/play
+0.217
88th of 197 · lg +0.191
Success rate
42.5%
151st of 197 · lg 50.0%
Yards/play
7.28
104th of 197 · lg 7.37
Explosive rate
10.0%
85th of 197 · lg 9.4%
Catch rate
82.5%
17th of 197 · lg 67.5%
Air yards/att
1.4
164th of 197 · lg 7.9
Turnover rate
0.0%
1st of 197 · lg 2.6%
TD rate
5.0%
92nd of 197 · lg 4.9%
Notable in 2025
His biggest gaps between one situation and the rest of his plays, beyond the league's own gap there (|z| ≥ 2.5). Many splits get checked, so some of these are luck; the badge says whether that kind of split repeats year to year.
- +0.27 EPA/carry with temperature (outdoors): 60–79°F vs -0.08 the rest of the time (75 vs 200; league gap -0.05; z +2.6) mostly noise · r 0.02
Every split
EPA per target in each situation, the league in the same situation, and his rank among qualified players with at least 12 targets there (1 = best). "Repeats" is how much that split's player-to-player differences carry from one season to the next (2016–25); near zero means it describes the past and predicts little. Click a situation to filter all his numbers to it.
| Situation | Targets | EPA/play | Success | Yds/play | League EPA | Rank | Repeats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home / away Setting compare everyone → | |||||||
| Home | 23 | +0.245 | 35% | 8.6 | +0.199 | 83/193 | -0.02 |
| Away | 17 | +0.179 | 53% | 5.5 | +0.181 | 108/193 | -0.03 |
| Neutral site | 0 | — | — | — | +0.222 | — | — |
| Rest days Setting compare everyone → | |||||||
| Short week (≤5 days) | 6 | -0.306 | 33% | 3.8 | +0.229 | — | 0.19 |
| Normal (6–8 days) | 22 | +0.244 | 50% | 7.2 | +0.182 | 80/197 | -0.01 |
| Extra rest (9–12 days) | 7 | +0.326 | 43% | 7.3 | +0.220 | — | 0.21 |
| Off a bye (13+ days) | 0 | — | — | — | +0.216 | — | — |
| Indoors / outdoors Weather compare everyone → | |||||||
| Indoors | 3 | -0.296 | 33% | 4.3 | +0.180 | — | 0.05 |
| Outdoors | 37 | +0.258 | 43% | 7.5 | +0.197 | 75/192 | 0.05 |
| Temperature (outdoors) Weather compare everyone → | |||||||
| Under 40°F | 17 | +0.527 | 47% | 9.1 | +0.172 | 11/41 | 0.05 |
| 40–59°F | 6 | +0.528 | 33% | 11.5 | +0.172 | — | -0.05 |
| 60–79°F | 8 | -0.304 | 25% | 3.5 | +0.241 | — | -0.02 |
| 80°F+ | 6 | -0.022 | 67% | 4.5 | +0.171 | — | 0.01 |
| Wind (outdoors) Weather compare everyone → | |||||||
| 0–9 mph | 27 | -0.065 | 33% | 4.9 | +0.216 | 145/177 | -0.09 |
| 10–14 mph | 2 | +1.118 | 50% | 15.5 | +0.170 | — | 0.05 |
| 15+ mph | 8 | +1.135 | 75% | 14.5 | +0.105 | — | -0.05 |
| Rain or snow (outdoors) Weather compare everyone → | |||||||
| Dry | 28 | +0.346 | 50% | 8.6 | +0.199 | 52/188 | 0.03 |
| Rain or snow | 9 | -0.014 | 22% | 4.2 | +0.157 | — | 0.03 |
| Score Game state compare everyone → | |||||||
| Trailing 9+ | 13 | +0.488 | 46% | 8.7 | +0.095 | 14/109 | -0.01 |
| Trailing 1–8 | 9 | +0.013 | 44% | 6.1 | +0.227 | — | 0.07 |
| Tied | 7 | -0.093 | 29% | 4.7 | +0.144 | — | 0.02 |
| Leading 1–8 | 8 | +0.272 | 50% | 8.6 | +0.239 | — | -0.03 |
| Leading 9+ | 3 | +0.232 | 33% | 7.0 | +0.316 | — | -0.05 |
| Win probability Game state compare everyone → | |||||||
| Win prob under 20% | 11 | +0.399 | 45% | 7.8 | +0.092 | — | -0.05 |
| Win prob 20–80% | 23 | +0.095 | 39% | 6.4 | +0.203 | 124/195 | -0.02 |
| Win prob over 80% | 6 | +0.351 | 50% | 9.5 | +0.295 | — | 0.09 |
| Quarter Game state compare everyone → | |||||||
| Q1 | 7 | -0.401 | 29% | 2.6 | +0.197 | — | 0.04 |
| Q2 | 7 | +0.012 | 29% | 2.9 | +0.199 | — | -0.01 |
| Q3 | 11 | +0.563 | 55% | 10.0 | +0.214 | — | -0.01 |
| Q4 | 15 | +0.347 | 47% | 9.5 | +0.156 | 54/150 | -0.03 |
| OT | 0 | — | — | — | +0.394 | — | — |
| Two-minute Game state compare everyone → | |||||||
| Last 2 min of half | 1 | +1.758 | 100% | 5.0 | +0.183 | — | 0.10 |
| Rest of game | 39 | +0.177 | 41% | 7.3 | +0.192 | 107/197 | 0.10 |
| Down Situation compare everyone → | |||||||
| 1st down | 19 | +0.151 | 47% | 6.4 | +0.209 | 114/176 | 0.00 |
| 2nd down | 18 | -0.105 | 28% | 4.5 | +0.198 | 156/178 | 0.02 |
| 3rd down | 3 | +2.561 | 100% | 29.7 | +0.131 | — | -0.02 |
| 4th down | 0 | — | — | — | +0.400 | — | — |
| 3rd-down distance Situation compare everyone → | |||||||
| 3rd & 1–3 | 2 | +1.344 | 100% | 19.0 | +0.088 | — | — |
| 3rd & 4–6 | 1 | +4.995 | 100% | 51.0 | +0.200 | — | -0.27 |
| 3rd & 7+ | 0 | — | — | — | +0.110 | — | 0.02 |
| Field position Situation compare everyone → | |||||||
| Own 20 and in | 6 | +0.026 | 50% | 5.7 | +0.190 | — | -0.04 |
| Own 50–21 | 20 | +0.258 | 45% | 8.1 | +0.188 | 80/193 | 0.04 |
| Opp 21–49 | 11 | +0.199 | 36% | 7.8 | +0.217 | — | 0.06 |
| Red zone (opp 20 in) | 3 | +0.386 | 33% | 3.3 | +0.140 | — | 0.05 |
| Formation Style compare everyone → | |||||||
| Shotgun | 27 | +0.223 | 37% | 7.1 | +0.165 | 80/196 | -0.02 |
| Under center | 13 | +0.204 | 54% | 7.7 | +0.311 | 50/71 | -0.02 |
| Tempo Style compare everyone → | |||||||
| Huddle | 39 | +0.226 | 44% | 7.4 | +0.194 | 86/197 | -0.00 |
| No huddle | 1 | -0.137 | 0% | 4.0 | +0.168 | — | -0.00 |
| Yards to go Situation compare everyone → | |||||||
| 1–3 to go | 3 | +1.367 | 100% | 20.3 | +0.202 | — | 0.05 |
| 4–6 to go | 4 | +1.333 | 50% | 14.0 | +0.234 | — | 0.02 |
| 7–10 to go | 32 | -0.011 | 38% | 5.3 | +0.203 | 167/197 | 0.03 |
| 11+ to go | 1 | -0.390 | 0% | 5.0 | +0.081 | — | -0.07 |
| Pass depth Passing compare everyone → | |||||||
| Behind the line | 14 | +0.409 | 36% | 9.4 | -0.156 | 2/69 | 0.15 |
| Short (0–9) | 24 | +0.045 | 46% | 5.6 | +0.141 | 129/189 | 0.09 |
| Intermediate (10–19) | 1 | +2.493 | 100% | 25.0 | +0.435 | — | 0.07 |
| Deep (20+) | 1 | -0.617 | 0% | 0.0 | +0.472 | — | 0.01 |
| Pass direction Passing compare everyone → | |||||||
| Left | 11 | +0.286 | 45% | 6.8 | +0.177 | — | 0.04 |
| Middle | 9 | +0.210 | 56% | 6.8 | +0.283 | — | -0.02 |
| Right | 20 | +0.182 | 35% | 7.8 | +0.155 | 89/185 | 0.03 |
| Play action Scheme (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Play action | 11 | +0.155 | 45% | 6.3 | +0.299 | — | -0.03 |
| No play action | 29 | +0.240 | 41% | 7.7 | +0.160 | 72/196 | -0.03 |
| In / out of pocket Scheme (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| In pocket | 33 | +0.251 | 42% | 7.2 | +0.192 | 72/197 | -0.05 |
| Out of pocket | 7 | +0.058 | 43% | 7.6 | +0.183 | — | -0.05 |
| Blitz Defense (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Blitzed | 9 | +1.257 | 78% | 15.8 | +0.232 | — | 0.08 |
| No blitz | 31 | -0.085 | 32% | 4.8 | +0.174 | 166/197 | 0.08 |
| Pass rushers Defense (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| 3 or fewer rushers | 1 | -0.741 | 0% | 0.0 | +0.254 | — | — |
| 4 rushers | 29 | -0.055 | 34% | 5.1 | +0.169 | 162/197 | 0.12 |
| 5 rushers | 8 | +0.573 | 62% | 8.8 | +0.235 | — | 0.15 |
| 6+ rushers | 2 | +3.204 | 100% | 37.0 | +0.254 | — | — |
| Defenders in the box Defense (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Light box (6 or fewer) | 24 | -0.059 | 33% | 4.7 | +0.175 | 158/196 | -0.04 |
| 7 in the box | 15 | +0.693 | 60% | 11.8 | +0.240 | 13/98 | -0.05 |
| Stacked box (8+) | 1 | -0.318 | 0% | 2.0 | +0.242 | — | — |
| Screen Scheme (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Screen | 2 | +2.170 | 50% | 26.5 | -0.032 | — | 0.50 |
| Not a screen | 38 | +0.114 | 42% | 6.3 | +0.213 | 127/197 | 0.50 |
| Pre-snap motion Scheme (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Motion | 26 | +0.011 | 38% | 5.5 | +0.214 | 150/193 | 0.10 |
| No motion | 14 | +0.598 | 50% | 10.5 | +0.163 | 19/191 | 0.10 |
| RPO Scheme (FTN) compare everyone → | |||||||
| RPO | 0 | — | — | — | +0.091 | — | — |
| Not an RPO | 40 | +0.217 | 42% | 7.3 | +0.193 | 90/197 | — |
| Pressure Defense (NGS) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Clean pocket | 35 | +0.096 | 43% | 6.1 | +0.256 | 145/197 | 0.01 |
| Pressured | 5 | +1.062 | 40% | 15.6 | -0.046 | — | 0.01 |
| Man / zone Defense (NGS) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Man | 11 | +1.099 | 64% | 15.5 | +0.211 | — | 0.03 |
| Zone | 29 | -0.118 | 34% | 4.1 | +0.181 | 169/197 | 0.03 |
| Coverage shell Defense (NGS) compare everyone → | |||||||
| Cover 0 | 2 | +2.654 | 100% | 31.0 | +0.266 | — | — |
| Cover 1 | 7 | +1.035 | 71% | 14.7 | +0.200 | — | 0.03 |
| 2-Man | 2 | -0.229 | 0% | 3.0 | +0.220 | — | — |
| Cover 2 | 13 | -0.352 | 31% | 2.0 | +0.137 | 115/127 | -0.09 |
| Cover 3 | 9 | -0.324 | 22% | 3.0 | +0.216 | — | 0.02 |
| Cover 4 | 5 | +0.531 | 40% | 8.6 | +0.210 | — | -0.08 |
| Cover 6 | 2 | +0.707 | 100% | 12.0 | +0.142 | — | — |
| Cover 9 | 0 | — | — | — | +0.159 | — | — |
| Combo | 0 | — | — | — | +0.206 | — | — |
| Blown coverage | 0 | — | — | — | +0.447 | — | — |
| Offensive personnel Scheme (NGS) compare everyone → | |||||||
| 11 | 27 | +0.062 | 37% | 6.8 | +0.188 | 135/193 | 0.05 |
| 12 | 8 | +0.847 | 75% | 10.5 | +0.194 | — | 0.04 |
| 21 | 3 | +0.496 | 33% | 8.0 | +0.110 | — | -0.17 |
| 13 | 2 | -0.631 | 0% | 0.0 | +0.263 | — | — |
| 22 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.103 | — | — |
| 10 | 0 | — | — | — | +0.236 | — | — |
| Other | 0 | — | — | — | +0.192 | — | — |
By season
| Season | Team | Targets | EPA/play | Total EPA | Success | Yds/play | Catch rate | aDOT | YAC/catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | BUF | 40 | +0.217 | +8.7 | 42.5% | 7.28 | 82.5% | 1.4 | 8.2 |
Definitions. QB plays are dropbacks: passes, sacks and scrambles (spikes left out). QB EPA doesn't charge the passer for a receiver's fumble after the catch. Rushing is designed runs only; receiving is EPA per target. EPA is about ±1.4 points a play, so a split of 50 plays carries roughly ±0.2 of luck.