James Cook III vs. Chris Olave: Who Should You Start in Week 9?

Start James Cook III. Cook III is projected for 16.8 PPR points vs 16.0 for Chris Olave, and faces the 5th-toughest defense against RBs this week.

Updated Nov 7, 4:39 PM ET

James Cook III vs. Chris Olave: Week 9 side by side

James Cook III
RB · BUF
Chris Olave
WR · NO
Projection (Week 9, avg of sources)16.816.0
Floor (lowest source)14.914.0
Ceiling (highest source)18.518.8
StatChasers projection16.7 (RB8)17.0 (WR9)
Opponentvs MINvs CLE
Opponent vs. position5th-toughest (18.4 pts/g allowed)12th-toughest (29.3 pts/g allowed)
Recent usage64% carry share (last 3)25% target share (last 3)
PositionRBWR
Our callSTART · Strong RB1START · Strong WR1

Settle every start/sit call with projections, matchup, recent usage and floor-versus-ceiling for your exact scoring settings.

James Cook III vs. Chris Olave Week 9 Start/Sit FAQ

Should I start James Cook III or Chris Olave in Week 9?

Start James Cook III. Cook III projects for 16.8 PPR points vs MIN, against 16.0 for Chris Olave vs CLE: a 0.8-point edge.

The projection is the average of every source that carries each player this week, and a player listed Out or Doubtful is never the start.

James Cook III vs. Chris Olave: who will score more fantasy points in Week 9?

James Cook III is projected to score more: 16.8 PPR points to 16.0 for Chris Olave.

The sources range from 14.9 to 18.5 for Cook III and from 14.0 to 18.8 for Olave. The ranges overlap, so Olave outscoring Cook III is a realistic result.

Who is the safer start in Week 9, James Cook III or Chris Olave?

James Cook III is the safer start: even the most cautious projection source has Cook III at 14.9 PPR points, against 14.0 for Chris Olave.

Start the higher floor when you are favored and only need to avoid a dud.

Who has the higher ceiling in Week 9, James Cook III or Chris Olave?

Chris Olave has the higher ceiling: the most optimistic projection source has Olave at 18.8 PPR points, against 18.5 for James Cook III.

Start the higher ceiling when you are the underdog and need points more than safety.

Who has the better matchup in Week 9, James Cook III or Chris Olave?

James Cook III plays MIN and Chris Olave plays CLE in Week 9.

By fantasy points allowed to each position, Cook III faces the 5th-toughest defense against RBs and Olave faces the 12th-toughest defense against WRs, so Chris Olave has the softer matchup.

Each projection already accounts for the opponent, so a soft matchup is a tiebreaker, not a reason to bench the higher projection.

Who gets more volume, James Cook III or Chris Olave?

Over his recent games James Cook III has drawn 64% of his team's carries, and Chris Olave 25% of his team's targets.

Does PPR scoring change James Cook III vs. Chris Olave?

These numbers are in PPR. Full PPR adds a point per catch, so it helps whichever player sees more targets, which here is Chris Olave.

Switch between PPR, Half PPR and Standard on the board above to rescore both players from the same sources.

Are James Cook III and Chris Olave playing in Week 9?

Neither James Cook III nor Chris Olave has an injury designation for Week 9.

Designations change through the week, so check again before kickoff; this page updates with each refresh.

Where do the James Cook III and Chris Olave projections come from?

Each figure is the average of the projection sources that carry the player this week: StatChasers, Sleeper, ESPN, numberFire, FFToday and the betting markets (sportsbook player props). James Cook III is projected by 6 of them and Chris Olave by 6.

A source with no number for a player is left out of the average rather than counted as a zero.

Other comparisons

Other James Cook III comparisons

Other Chris Olave comparisons