Ray Davis
Ray Davis has become a healthy scratch from meaningful offensive touches in 2025, buried behind a workhorse James Cook and passed on the depth chart by Ty Johnson, leaving him as a special-teams contributor and deep-stash handcuff rather than an active fantasy piece.
Role
Cook is handling a career-high workload and is in the mix for the league rushing title, soaking up nearly all early-down and passing-game work; Davis has seen essentially no offensive touches most weeks and instead logs snaps on kickoff/punt-return units, while Ty Johnson has passed him for the clear No. 2 running back job behind Cook.
If Cook were to miss time (he was banged up with an ankle/foot issue entering a Week 10 matchup with Miami), Davis's power running style and prior flashes (a 20-carry, 97-yard game and a Week 18 spot start last year) give him a path to real touches if Buffalo leans on him over Johnson in a given week.
Buffalo has already shown a preference for Ty Johnson as the first man up behind Cook, and with essentially zero offensive touches most weeks in 2025, Davis has no standalone value and would need both a Cook absence and a coaching decision to favor him over Johnson to matter.
Where analysts split
The specific disagreement is who actually benefits first if James Cook sits: some analysts view Davis's bigger frame and contact-yardage skill as a better fit for early-down work, while others point to Ty Johnson already occupying the clear No. 2 role, meaning Davis could remain a non-factor even in a Cook absence.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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