Cooks caught his only target for 21 yards during Sunday's 25-19 loss to the Patriots.
Cooks logged a season low in targets for the second week in a row. The 32-year-old has served as the Saints' No. 3 wideout this season, but his production has looked more like that of a WR4, as he's averaged 2.2 catches on 2.8 targets for 20.7 yards per game. His fantasy numbers should remain negligible so long as Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and TE1 Juwan Johnson are healthy moving forward. His next opportunity will come during the Week 7 matchup versus the Bears on Sunday, Sept. 19.
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Saints' Brandin Cooks: Sees one target Sunday
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Cooks gathered in his only target for five yards during Sunday's 26-14 victory versus the Giants.
Cooks saw his lowest target share and playing time of the season, resulting in season lows in catches and yards. The 32-year-old went from playing at least 68 percent of offensive snaps in each of the first four weeks -- including 91 percent in Week 4 -- to 45 percent in Week 5. It's unclear why he saw such a sharp decline in playing time, though second-year wideout Devaughn Vele saw a jump from six percent of offensive snaps to 37 percent played Sunday. Neither Cooks nor Vele will have any fantasy value so long as they operate as the third and fourth wideouts in what has been a limited passing offense with quarterback Spencer Rattler. Cooks will perhaps play more offensive snaps during the Week 6 contest versus his former team, the Patriots.
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Saints' Brandin Cooks: Logs three catches again Sunday
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Cooks hauled in three of four targets for 22 yards during Sunday's 31-19 defeat versus the Bills.
Cooks nearly caught his second touchdown of the season on a 17-yard strike into the end zone from quarterback Spencer Rattler, but the call was reversed upon official review, which determined the 32-year-old wideout didn't maintain control through the ground. Cooks has put up almost the exact same stat line through each of the first four games this season, averaging 2.8 catches (on 3.8 targets) for 24.5 yards. His role as a WR3 in the Saints' struggling offense won't yield him much value aside from the deepest PPR leagues. Cooks should continue to operate behind wideout Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed during the Week 5 matchup versus the Giants.
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Saints' Brandin Cooks: Three catches in loss
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Cooks caught three of five targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 44-13 loss to the Seahawks.
Cooks operated as the Saints' No. 3 wide receiver, playing 51 of the team's 73 offensive snaps behind both Chris Olave (62) and Rashid Shaheed (54). The 31-year-old wideout has failed to record more than three catches in all three games this season, offering very little upside in New Orleans' struggling offense. Cooks is best left out of fantasy lineups heading into a Week 4 matchup against the Bills.
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Saints' Brandin Cooks: Sees light usage again Week 2
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Cooks hauled in two targets for 26 yards during Sunday's 26-21 loss to San Francisco.
Cooks recorded 26 yards for the second game in a row, but he registered one fewer catch and two fewer targets than in Week 1. The veteran made an impressive grab when he jumped in stride to catch a 20-yard strike from quarterback Spencer Rattler. The second-year signal-caller threw 34 passes after attempting a career-high 46 in the season opener. The vast majority of targets still went to the Saints' top-three pass-catchers -- Chris Olave (10), Juwan Johnson (nine) and Rashid Shaheed (five) -- while running back Alvin Kamara also logged six targets out of the backfield. Cooks will likely need to capitalize on the limited opportunities that he splits with second-year wideout Devaughn Vele, who caught a three-yard touchdown on his lone target Sunday. The Saints' next game will come at Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 21.
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Saints' Brandin Cooks: Catches three passes Week 1
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Cooks had three receptions (on four targets) for 26 yards during Sunday's 20-13 loss versus the Cardinals.
Cooks slotted in as New Orleans' No. 3 wideout in his first game back with the team since 2016. The 31-year-old finished fourth on the squad in targets, catches and yards as quarterback Spencer Rattler chucked a career-high 46 passing attempts. But, the lion's share of targets still went toward Chris Olave (13), Rashid Shaheed (nine) and tight end Juwan Johnson (11). The surprisingly high volume of passing attempts could lead to more production than expected from the Saints' receivers, though it appears the aerial attack will be concentrated around Olave, Shaheed and Johnson. Cooks will look to gain some extra targets when the Saints host the 49ers in Week 2.
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Saints' Brandin Cooks: Finishes preseason with one catch
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Cooks recorded zero catches (on one target) during Saturday's 28-19 preseason loss to the Broncos.
Cooks played with the Saints' starters for the first two offensive series during Sunday's preseason finale. The only other exhibition game that he suited up for this preseason was the opener versus the Chargers, in which he hauled in one of two targets for 10 yards. Cooks has been slotted for a starting spot role since joining the Saints on a two-year deal back in March, but he faces some extra competition for snaps after the team traded for second-year wideout Devaughn Vele on Wednesday. Cooks is coming off the least productive season of his career, logging 26 receptions (on 54 targets) for 259 yards over 10 regular-season games with the Cowboys in 2024. This was the first time in his 11-year career that he did not log at least 42 catches or 550 yards. Cooks and/or Vele likely will hold the No. 3 WR spot behind solidified starters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed this season.
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Saints' Brandin Cooks: Headed back to New Orleans
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The Saints are slated to sign Cooks, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the wideout's reported deal is a two-year pact worth $13 million. Cooks, who joined the NFL as a 2014 first-round pick of the Saints, is thus poised to return to New Orleans, where he'll add speed and experience to a WR corps which is led by Chris Olave and also includes Rashid Shaheed. In 10 regular-season games with the Cowboys in 2024, Cooks recorded 26 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns on 54 targets, but with his looming change of scenery, a bounce-back campaign could be in order for the 31-year-old, with a path to steady snaps seemingly on tap for him in 2025.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Quiet in season finale
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Cooks caught three of nine targets for 15 yards and rushed once for minus-5 yards in Sunday's 23-19 loss to the Commanders.
Cooks struggled to get on the same page with third-string quarterback Trey Lance, who started the season finale. The 31-year-old wideout had his campaign derailed by an IR stint due to a knee injury, finishing with just 26 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns on 54 targets. Cooks will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Leads pass catchers in loss
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Cooks brought in four of eight targets for 52 yards in the Cowboys' 41-7 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
Cooks was unsurprisingly the leader across the board for the Cowboys in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the afternoon as Dallas played its first game without CeeDee Lamb (IR-shoulder). However, the extra attention from Cooper Rush, which resulted in season-high yardage and target totals for Cooks, still led to a modest fantasy afternoon overall in a game that progressively got away from Dallas. Cooks should have an elevated role again during the Week 18 home regular-season finale against the Commanders.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sleeper WRs
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CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) is out for the rest of the season, and Jalen Tolbert (finger) is questionable for Sunday's game at Philadelphia. That could make Cooks a go-to receiver for Cooper Rush, and Cooks is worth using as a desperation No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper leagues. He has two games this season with at least seven targets, and he scored a touchdown in both, including as recently as Week 13 against the Giants. But his season high for receiving yards is 48, so limit your expectations if you start Cooks this week, even with Lamb out.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Role could grow sans Lamb
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Cooks and Jalen Tolbert (finger) are expected to serve as the Cowboys' top two receivers for the next two games with Dallas announcing Thursday that CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) has been ruled out for the season, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Lamb first suffered an AC joint sprain in his shoulder in the Nov. 3 loss to the Falcons and had aggravated the injury on multiple occasions since, but the star wideout had still suited up in Dallas' last seven games while averaging 9.7 targets per contest. With the Cowboys officially eliminated from playoff contention following Week 17 action, the team will shut Lamb down to avoid further wear and tear on his shoulder, with his absence creating a major void in the Dallas passing attack. While Cooks should benefit from some added looks as a result of Lamb's absence, expect quarterback Cooper Rush to disperse Lamb's vacated targets around among a number of pass catchers. In addition to Cooks and Tolbert, tight end Jake Ferguson and depth wideouts Jalen Brooks (knee), Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin could also see their involvement in the passing game increase to varying degrees.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Makes most of three targets
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Cooks recorded three receptions on three targets for 48 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over the Buccaneers.
Cooks continued to occupy a small role in the Dallas offense, with CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson dominating targets. This did mark Cook's highest yardage total of the season, due primarily to a long 29-yard catch late in the first quarter. His limited fantasy appeal comes from his ability to find the end zone -- he has three touchdowns in eight games -- though that's difficult to trust on a weekly basis.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Three grabs against Carolina
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Cooks caught three of five targets for 34 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers.
CeeDee Lamb dominated the looks from quarterback Cooper Rush with a 9-116-1 line on 13 targets, and while Cooks finished second on the Cowboys in targets, catches and receiving yards, it was Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks who were on the end of Rush's other two touchdowns. Cooks has seen limited volume since returning from a knee injury that cost him seven games in the middle of the season, posting a 7-53-2 line on 15 targets over the last three contests, and he'll be a TD-dependent fantasy option Week 16 against Tampa Bay's vulnerable secondary.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Hauls in TD versus Cincinnati
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Cooks caught one of three targets for a three-yard touchdown in Monday night's loss to the Bengals.
Cooks made the most of his lone catch, securing a third-quarter touchdown from Cooper Rush to tie the game at 17-17. In his second game back from a seven-game absence, Cooks' playing time also spiked to 60 percent of the offensive snaps after he played just 39 percent the previous week. Cooks will square off with Carolina's secondary in Week 15 next Sunday.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Week 15 Waiver Priority List
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Cooks came back from a seven-game absence with a knee injury in Week 13 and, in the past two games, has four catches for 19 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets. It's not the most ideal stat line for Cooks, but he could be useful in deeper leagues heading into the next two matchups for the Cowboys against Carolina in Week 15 and then Tampa Bay in Week 16.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Full practice Friday
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Cooks (rest/knee) practiced without limitations Friday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Cooks' limitations in Thursday's practice were primarily rest-related as he gets eased back in ahead of his second game back from a two-month absence due to a knee injury. Barring a setback Saturday, the veteran wideout should head into Monday's matchup with the struggling Bengals secondary sans an injury designation.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sleeper WRs
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The Bengals are No. 10 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and Cooks is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper leagues. He returned from his seven-game absence with a knee injury in Week 13 against the Giants and had three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. I hope he gets seven targets again because Cincinnati has allowed six touchdowns to receivers in the past four games, and six receivers have scored at least 12.8 PPR points over that span. This should be a fun game for Cooks and CeeDee Lamb, given the matchup.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Week 14 Waiver Priority List
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Cooks returned from his seven-game absence with a knee injury in Week 13 against the Giants and had three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. He has a great matchup in Week 14 against the Bengals, and CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) is also banged up. It could lead to an expanded role for Cooks, and he's worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Scores key TD in return to action
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Cooks hauled in three of seven targets for 16 yards and one touchdown during Thursday's 27-20 win against the Giants.
In his first game action since Week 4, Cooks didn't seem to be on the same page with QB Cooper Rush for large portions of this Week 13 divisional clash, but the two eventually connected for a two-yard touchdown on the Cowboys' first possession of the second half to extend the lead to 20-10. And with Dallas clinging to a 27-20 score at the two-minute warning of the fourth quarter, they again hooked up for a three-yard gain on third-and-2 to effectively salt the game away. Cooks will aim for an improved rapport with Rush when the team next takes the field Monday, Dec. 9 versus the Bengals.
