Analysis
8/15/23
3 min read
Fantasy Football Impact of Dalvin Cook Signing With New York Jets
Dalvin Cook is now officially a member of the New York Jets. That’s good news for Jets fans, but Cook’s landing spot is not great for fantasy managers. Not only that, his addition will have an impact on difference-maker Breece Hall in fantasy.
>> READ: Cook's Scheme Fit With Jets
Cook Signing Fantasy Impact
Cook’s Fantasy Value
In a best-case scenario for Cook, he takes the early lead in the Jets’ backfield while Hall is eased into action.
New offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has a history of giving two running backs relevant workloads. That’s important for Cook because he’ll likely have a solid role even when Hall’s workload increases. The size of Cook’s contract also indicates New York expects him to be more than just an early-season fill-in.
The question is, will that workload be large enough to make Cook fantasy-relevant?
Absent an injury setback for Hall, Cook would have had more upside with the Miami Dolphins. In New York, Cook will be more of an asset in real football than in fantasy.
Cook’s current ADP is in the mid-90s, and we don’t expect that to change much. If anything, it could fall some because he’s now a premium handcuff with some standalone value. Cook’s situation has a lot of parallels with Jamaal Williams’ in New Orleans.
Williams will see an enhanced workload while Alvin Kamara serves a three-game suspension. Once Kamara returns, Williams is still positioned for a noteworthy role, but he’ll no longer be “the guy.” That’s more or less what Cook is looking at in New York.
Hall’s Fantasy Value
In the short term, it’s not a huge surprise the Jets plan to ease Hall back after his ACL tear. The more significant concern is, given Hackett’s previous backfield deployments, the Jets now have someone who can conceivably split with Hall.
The thesis behind drafting Hall was always that he’d peak later in the season when fantasy championships are won. That hasn’t changed, but Cook’s presence makes it more likely Hall never quite sees the bell cow workload we hoped for.
Final Thoughts
When looking at both players’ season-long workloads, you could create a parallel from Hall to Aaron Jones and Cook to A.J. Dillon. Jones had the more valuable role, while Dillon was used as more of a grinder back under Hackett.
There was just a four-game sample last year in Denver with Javonte Williams (Hall) and veteran Melvin Gordon (Cook), but Hackett’s running back deployments were similar. Williams led the backfield in carries most weeks, and Gordon hovered right around 10. Both Williams and Gordon saw a solid amount of targets under Hackett.
Josh Larky will finalize his fantasy rankings later this week, and he’ll address Hall’s outlook in fantasy football drafts.
Follow The 33rd Team Podcast Network on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
