In his 10th season, Brandin Cooks will be playing for his fifth different franchise and is positioned to be the Dallas Cowboys’ WR2. He produced north of 1,000 receiving yards in his first season with each of his previous three employers (Patriots, Rams, and Texans), a level of success the soon-to-be 30-year-old will look to bring with him to Dallas.
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Brandin Cooks’ Fantasy Outlook
Cooks will face much more target competition in Dallas than he did last season in Houston (he missed four games and led the team in targets, catches, and receiving yards), though every target earned figures to be much more valuable.
2022 Cowboys/2022 Texans:
- Red-zone offenses: 1st/27th
- Third-down conversion rate: 5th/31st
- Pass TD rate: 8th / 25th
In his quest to become the first player ever with a 1,000-receiving-yard season for five different franchises, Cooks must hold off Michael Gallup for the WR2 role behind unquestioned alpha CeeDee Lamb in Dallas. Fantasy football managers would love for him to run away with the WR2 job, though the WR3 role in this offense could hold some value with Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown leaving and thus compromising the pass-catching depth on this roster.
In order for Cooks (or Gallup, for that matter) to earn weekly Flex consideration, Dak Prescott will need to improve his efficiency (7.3 yards per attempt last season, his worst rate since 2017), something that is certainly possible in a less aggressive environment.
For the forward-thinkers out there, the Cowboys only have one potential weather issue during the second half of the fantasy season. Outside of a game in Buffalo in Week 15, Dallas’ schedule from Weeks 10-17 includes four home games and two warm climate contests.
What Role Will Cooks Assume in Dallas?
All early signs point to Cooks being the second target in this offense. If he can assume that role from Day 1, there is some reasonable upside to chase.
Last season, there were eight instances in which a non-Lamb pass catcher scored 13+ fantasy points (half-PPR), a number that puts you in the strong WR3 conversation on a weekly basis.
Nearly 48% of Dallas’ yards last season came on the ground (10th-highest rate), an offensive strategy that would limit the fantasy football upside of their secondary pass catcher. But with the team fully committing to Tony Pollard to anchor their run game, it’s reasonable to think the Cowboys’ offense could open up a bit.
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Reports out of Big D indicate that the Prescott/Cooks connection looks strong, something you’d expect from a pair of veterans. I’m less concerned about Cooks’ spot in the WR hierarchy this season and more interested in what his average target looks like. From 2015-19, he was used as a field stretcher and posted a 13.4 aDOT. However, the Texans used him a bit differently, and it resulted in an 11.0 aDOT.
Among active quarterbacks, Prescott ranks third in deep completion percentage over the past four seasons, a trend that leads me to believe Cooks’ role is more of a downfield one that makes him more of a boom-and-bust option.
Should Fantasy Managers Draft Cooks at His ADP?
Cooks owns a strong résumé and has proven more than capable of producing following a change in scenery. Yet, the lack of elite volume in Dallas figures to prevent him from living up to his career standards.
That said, Cooks’ current asking price (WR40, No. 88 overall) doesn’t require much to make him worth your while. For me personally, I’d rather take a chance on a similar player that isn’t dealing with a new playbook (Gabe Davis) or an RB with a viable Week 1 role that can earn a greater role with time (AJ Dillon or either Commander running back).
That’s not to say I’m actively avoiding Cooks. It would just take the draft to fall a certain way with a specific roster construction for me to click his name.
