5 breakout fantasy football stars to pick up for Week 12

2. Top Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 12 – Buffalo Bills RB James Cook

The running game is admittedly the secondary part of the Buffalo offense with Josh Allen under center. Allen’s recent struggles have led the Bills to begin exploring more effective ways to incorporate their running backs into the game plan and the effort paid dividends in Buffalo’s 31-23 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.

While Devin Singletary led the backfield with 18 carries for 86 yards and a score, James Cook also had a huge day for the Bills. Cook matched Singletary’s yardage total on just 11 carries and did receive a goal-line carry late in the game, which is a sign that the Buffalo coaching staff is starting to trust Cook in critical situations.

There are a lot of mouths to feed in Buffalo and Cook is admittedly a bit of a lottery ticket since he is behind Singletary in the backfield on a pass-first team. This performance could help make Cook a more active role in the game plan, which could be critical in Buffalo as the weather gets colder over the next few months.

A few speculators have already bought in on Cook, who is currently rostered in 17 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and it makes sense to add him as a stash play. Buffalo is in Detroit for Thanksgiving against the Lions so don’t be shocked if Cook delivers sneaky good value as a flex play there.