Week 1 was a week for veteran wide receivers to show they shouldn’t be forgotten in fantasy football just yet. Two veteran performances stood out, as Tyler Lockett and Brandin Cooks dominated for their teams to help secure victory.
With these two wide receivers showing that they will not go quietly into the night, we must ask ourselves if these performances were an anomaly or if we have a genuine debate for Week 2 between Lockett and Cooks.
The Dallas Cowboys welcome in the New Orleans Saints, while the Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots. Let’s break down the key insights you need to know about each player to correctly identify who should start for you in Week 2.
Which WR Should You Choose from Tyler Lockett and Brandin Cooks in Week 2?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say Cooks is the player to start. Although we believe that Lockett is the safer player, Cooks is the player we want starting in Week 2.
The Cowboys are playing in the game with the higher implied total, and Cooks has an injured teammate in Jake Ferguson, who demands a decent share of the targets. With Ferguson leaning toward being inactive, Cooks may have to step into a more significant role within this Cowboys offense.
David Moore from the Dallas Morning News agrees that Cooks has carved out a role behind CeeDee Lamb’s shadow. His biggest issue will be beating Marshon Lattimore (questionable) consistently this weekend. If Ferguson is out, expect more manufactured plays for the veteran wide receiver.
Lockett’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The rumors of Lockett’s demise were greatly exaggerated as he led the Seahawks in receptions last week. His 77 yards were also the team lead, and his performance helped stamp a 26-20 victory over the Broncos.
That is one helluva 1-handed grab by Tyler Lockett to ice the game. pic.twitter.com/PacE0jS99B
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) September 8, 2024
TruMedia shows us that Lockett was hyper-efficient in his game, as he only ran 20 routes last week. That total was the 122nd best in the NFL. Lockett made those routes count, creating the 23rd-highest air yards per target and the 38th-highest yards per reception.
Geno Smith’s trust in him stood out the most for Lockett’s stats. Smith and Lockett created five first-down receptions, the fifth-highest in the NFL. With that level of trust from your quarterback, your role within the offense is safe.
Cooks’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
If you take the touchdown away from Cooks’ performance, you are left with a mediocre game. Cooks saw seven targets but only recorded four receptions for 40 yards. That touchdown is what saved his fantasy value in Week 1.
His 10 yards per reception ranked 68th overall in the NFL last week. He created 11.29 air yards per target, which helped elevate his day with more valuable targets. His ranking of 30th overall in this category could be beneficial for weeks to come.
With Lamb as the hyper-targeted alpha wide receiver, Cooks slides nicely into the down-the-field threat. The issue within that role is that we can see the player’s boom-bust style of play, which makes us cautious about fantasy football finishes from this wide receiver. His 57.1 reception percentage tells us we should handle Cooks cautiously, as we could receive a goose egg within our fantasy football lineup.
Kyle Soppe’s Fantasy Outlook for Lockett and Cooks
Tyler Lockett: I was fully out on Lockett this offseason, and while I’m not yet bending the knee, the efficiency concerns were off base last week.
The veteran hauled in six of seven targets and was the focal point of this limited passing game, but can we really count on that usage being sustained?
Against Denver, Lockett was targeted once every 3.3 routes, a jump from 7.0 a season ago. If that sticks, I’m going to be dead wrong and Lockett will be the best fantasy receiver on his team.
I remain skeptical. I’m going to need more than a four-quarter sample to sell me on Lockett as a lineup-worthy player.
Brandin Cooks: After the worst year of his career on a yards-per-route-run basis, Cooks found paydirt in Week 1, not an ideal start for my full fade of the veteran.
I’m not taking the “L” just yet. Cooks was left essentially unguarded on his 21-yard touchdown as the Browns brought the house, a play that counts in the box score but is not something you can bank on.
If the Saints can make Prescott uncomfortable, like I believe they can, Cooks is going to struggle to pay off you Flexing him. I’m not sold the soon-to-be 31-year-old can uncover fast enough in such a matchup – he’s outside of my top 50 at the position, falling behind Adonai Mitchell and Greg Dortch, to name a few.