The 2023 NFL preseason starts next week when the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns face off in the Hall of Fame Game. From there, we’ll be off and running a week later when every team plays the first full weekend of the preseason. Most single-season re-draft leagues won’t be drafting until later in August and into early September, but plenty of drafts have begun or will soon begin.
If you’re drafting this week, you’re likely trying to figure out the status of free agent running back Dalvin Cook. The Minnesota Vikings released Cook in June and he has since been connected to the New York Jets and New England Patriots in the free agency rumor mill. Notably, he is headed to New Jersey this weekend for a visit with the Jets.
If you are not drafting for two or three more weeks, there will likely be resolution by then. However, if you have to make a decision this week, you likely won’t have resolution. If he signs with the Jets, he joins a backfield that already features second-round pick Breece Hall. The Jets placed Hall on the PUP list to open training camp due to his continued recovery from an October 2022 torn ACL. If he joins the Patriots, he’d be joining a backfield that already features Rhamondre Stevenson, who ran for 1,040 yards last season and averaged five yards per carry.
It is important to note that Cook also could face a suspension related to domestic violence allegations from 2021. It’s unclear where things stand with the league on that front, with Cook in a mix of lawsuits and defamation countersuits over the allegations.
The easiest solution to all this as you consider your options is to simply steer clear of Cook entirely. Remove him from your draft board and consider all alternatives. It is no surprise there is considerable variance on his average draft position. At Fantasy Football Calculator, his ADP is 25, which puts him at the top of the third round in 12-team leagues. At FantasyPros, his ADP is 53, which puts him in the top half of the fifth round in 12-team leagues.