Derrick Henry or James Cook Week 4 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy football projections for RBs ahead of SNF clash

Week 4 of the 2024 fantasy football season features a Sunday Night Football matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. Both teams have two of the best running backs in the NFL this year as Derrick Henry and James Cook will face off. Here's which one makes for a better pick in lineups this week.

Is Derrick Henry a good fantasy pick in Week 4?

Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry has seen his overall workload and production increase in each of his three games with the Baltimore Ravens so far. This resulted in a season-best RB3 finish last week, including 174 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 26 touches. He now ranks as the overall RB4 this year and has scored at least one touchdown in each week with his new team.

Up next for Henry is a matchup against the Buffalo Bills, who currently rank among the bottom 10 teams in limiting fantasy points to opposing running backs. This gives him a relatively favorable situation in fantasy football this week, especially considering his strong recent form.

Is James Cook a good fantasy pick in Week 4?

James Cook

James Cook turned in a career-best RB11 finish in fantasy football last season with the Buffalo Bills. He is off to an even better start to this year as he currently ranks as the overall RB5 through the first three weeks of the 2024 season. He has also already scored four total touchdowns, which is well ahead of his pace from last year when he scored six touchdowns for the entire season.

This week presents a challenging matchup for Cook against the Baltimore Ravens. While their defense has struggled as a whole this year, they are currently allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. This limits Cook's upside a bit, though his strong performances this year still make a solid option in Week 4 fantasy football lineups.

Derrick Henry or James Cook: Who Should I Start in Week 4 fantasy football?

Who Should I Start

Derrick Henry is the preferred running back to use in Week 4 fantasy football lineups over James Cook. Sportskeeda's Who Should I Start tool projects that the Ravens running back will score 3.4 additional fantasy points this week, giving him the weekly edge.

Where Cook has an advantage is in his receiving projections, but they aren't enough to overcome Henry's superior rushing expectations on Sunday Night Football. His more favorable matchup against the Bills' rushing defense is one of the reasons why he is the recommended pick this week.