James
Cook III
RB
#4
James Cook III
#4RB
Buffalo Bills
Height : 5' 11" · Weight : 190 lbs · Age : 27
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG | FD | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Buffalo Bills | 3 | 58 | 346 | 6.0 | 2 | 35 | 18 | 2 |
| 2025 | Buffalo Bills | 17 | 309 | 1,621 | 5.2 | 12 | 64 | 68 | 6 |
| 2024 | Buffalo Bills | 16 | 207 | 1,009 | 4.9 | 16 | 65 | 48 | 1 |
| 2023 | Buffalo Bills | 17 | 237 | 1,122 | 4.7 | 2 | 42 | 53 | 3 |
| 2022 | Buffalo Bills | 16 | 89 | 507 | 5.7 | 2 | 33 | 24 | 1 |
Contract
Buffalo Bills payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 5.88 M$
- Average per year
- 11.50 M$
- Total value
- 46.0 M$
- Seasons left
- 5 · through 2030
2026
5.88 M$
Guaranteed
2027
13.00 M$
Not guaranteed
2028
13.55 M$
Not guaranteed
2029
14.28 M$
Not guaranteed
2030
1.48 M$
Not guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2026 Running backs
NFL stats →2026 season, in progress (3 games played). The percentile ranks the player among regular running backs: 90th means better than 90% of them.
EPA per carry
+0.09
96th percentile
Rush yards over expected
+1.14 yd/att
87th percentile
Carries
58
81th percentile
Rushing yards
346
94th percentile
Yards per carry
6.0
99th percentile
Rushing TDs
2
78th percentile
Targets
8
44th percentile
Receiving yards
16
18th percentile
EPA per target
−0.24
27th percentile
Games
3
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 end-of-season projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.4
Games
17
WAR 2026
0.1
Games played
3
WAR already earned, plus his pace (WAR per game over the last three seasons, 60/25/15, pulled toward the group average) over his team's remaining games, given his availability so far.
Trend
→ Stable (+1)
- 20230.4 WAR · 0.024 per game
- 20240.4 WAR · 0.025 per game
- 20250.4 WAR · 0.024 per game
- 20260.1 WAR · 0.033 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
+11 · 26 y.o. · prime years
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2026
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
89
High-end
- RUN
- Rushing
- 92
- ELU
- Elusiveness
- 85
- REC
- Receiving
- 85
- BAL
- Ball skills
- 62
- DUR
- Durability
- 81
- EX
- Experience
- 58
Why these ratings?Hide details
- RUN — Rushing : Expected points added and success rate per carry
- ELU — Elusiveness : Yards over expected, after contact or catch, broken tackles
- REC — Receiving : Expected points added and yards per target
- BAL — Ball skills : Ball carrier: fumbles avoided. Defender: interceptions and passes defended
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2026
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
WAR
0.1
#2 of 39 regular running backs
PAL Rating
81 / 100
#8 of 39 regular running backs
Value Rating · 2025
83 / 100
2025 PAL (89) against 2026 salary: the contract's average per year (APY), $11.5M.PAL expected for this salary: 62PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
45% of the EPA of his carries (the line gets the rest), above replacement.
25% of the EPA of passes thrown his way (the QB and line get the rest), above replacement.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Rush yds | TD | Rec yds | EPA/car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | BUF | 3 | 0.1 | 81 | 89 | 346 | 2 | 16 | +0.09 |
| 2025 | BUF | 17 | 0.4 | 89 | 93 | 1,621 | 12 | 291 | +0.02 |
| 2024 | BUF | 16 | 0.4 | 87 | 88 | 1,009 | 16 | 258 | +0.05 |
| 2023 | BUF | 17 | 0.4 | 84 | 90 | 1,122 | 2 | 445 | −0.03 |
| 2022 | BUF | 16 | 0.2 | 63 | 82 | 507 | 2 | 180 | +0.07 |
James Cook III in five questions
What are James Cook III's stats in 2026?
James Cook III has 346 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns and 4 catches in 3 games in 2026.
How old and how tall is James Cook III?
James Cook III is 27 years old. He is 5'11" (180 cm) and weighs 190 lb (86 kg).
How good is James Cook III?
James Cook III produced 0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2026 (season in progress), 7th of 39 players at his position in the NFL. His PAL rating is 81 out of 100: excellent for his position.
What number does James Cook III wear, and what team does he play for?
James Cook III plays for Buffalo Bills in the NFL, at RB, and wears number 4.
What is James Cook III's projection for 2026?
Our projection has him at 0.4 WAR over the full 2026 season, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
