After earning a reputation as one of the most consistent producers in Fantasy, Cooks' production cratered in 2022. The combination of an offensive system that didn't feature his skill set (low average depth of target until the midseason point) and off-field concerns (Cooks expected to be traded to a contender around the deadline) resulted in a receiver you couldn't trust on a weekly basis. However, Cooks remained excellent at defeating man coverage even when the ball didn't come his way. Now he has a real opportunity to return value with a massive quarterback upgrade, and he joins an offense with vacated targets and production (Dalton Schultz). Draft him starting in Round 8 as WR3 with upside to settle into your WR2 role on a weekly basis and return to his consistent production.
Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Quiet showing in loss to Cards
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Cooks caught two of seven targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 28-16 loss to the Cardinals.
Four different Cowboys tied for the team lead with seven targets, but Cooks was the least productive of the bunch as he struggled to gain separation against a surprisingly stout Arizona secondary. The veteran wideout has had a very quiet start to his Dallas tenure, and it could be a while before Cooks begins to make an impact. The Cowboys host the Patriots in Week 4 before a road game against the 49ers in Week 5.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Ready to return Sunday
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Cooks (knee) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game at Arizona.
Cooks emerged from Week 1 action with an MCL sprain, which kept him off the practice field last week before ultimately being inactive this past Sunday versus the Jets. This week, the 10th-year pro opened it with a limited session Wednesday, but he ended it with back-to-back full practices to clear him for Week 3. Cooks thus will get a chance to make his first big mark as a Cowboy against a Cardinals defense that has allowed the seventh-most YPC (9.5) to opposing wide receivers through two games this season.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Gets back to full participation
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Cooks (knee) practiced in full Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Coach Mike McCarthy relayed to Todd Archer of ESPN.com earlier Thursday that Cooks would be "good to go," but such a statement doesn't always equate to all activity during a given practice. Cooks was able to handle every rep Thursday, setting himself up to contain his DNP streak to one game due to a MCL sprain. Friday's injury report will unveil whether or not he goes into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest at Arizona.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Returns to limited practice
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Cooks (knee) practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Leading up to this past Sunday's win over the Jets, Cooks wasn't able to practice, with resistance training acting as his only visible on-field work. He was ultimately inactive for the contest, but with his return to limited activity to kick off Week 3 prep, he's putting himself in a position to keep his absence to just one game. Cooks even told Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday that he's feeling "great" and expects to suit up Sunday in Arizona.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Expected to play Week 3
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Cooks (knee) is expected to play in Dallas' Week 3 matchup against the Cardinals on Sunday, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Cooks is expected to be a limited participant at practice Wednesday before logging a full session Thursday. If that happens, the veteran wideout will be in a good position to suit up after missing Week 2 due to a slight MCL sprain. Cooks was limited in the season opener, catching just two of four targets for 22 yards as the Cowboys routed the Giants.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Unlikely to suit up Week 2
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Cooks (knee) isn't expected to play in Sunday's game against the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Cooks is officially listed as questionable heading into the Week 2 matchup after missing three consecutive practices due to the sprained MCL he sustained in the Cowboys' season-opening win over the Giants. Expect Cooks to be included on the Cowboys' Week 2 inactive list, which will be released approximately 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. With Cooks set to sit out, Jalen Tolbert is the favorite to step in as the No. 3 receiving option behind Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Deemed questionable after DNP
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Cooks (knee) missed a third straight practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jets, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Cooks hasn't practiced since spraining his MCL in the season opener, but team owner Jerry Jones did say Friday morning that the veteran wideout could end up a game-time decision without practicing at all this week. Fantasy managers can treat Cooks as such ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, with the combination of his knee injury and a tough matchup against an excellent Jets secondary equating to reduced expectations even if he's active. Jalen Tolbert is the favorite to step in as the No. 3 receiver if Cooks is inactive, though KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Brooks could also get more snaps and Michael Gallup likely would play a bit more than he did last week (76 percent route share, tied with Cooks but below CeeDee Lamb's team-high 92 percent).
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sits out Friday's practice
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Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said that Cooks (knee) was a spectator for Friday's practice, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Cooks will go down as a non-participant on the Cowboys' injury report for each of the team's three practices this week after suffering a slight MCL sprain in one of his knees during the team's season-opening win over the Giants last weekend, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said earlier Friday that Cooks doesn't necessarily need to practice this week in order to play in Sunday's game against the Jets, so if the veteran wideout is listed as questionable or doubtful for the contest, he could shape up as a game-time decision leading up to the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. The Cowboys will provide an official injury designation for Cooks later Friday.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Could be headed for game-time call
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Cooks (knee) may end up as a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup with the Jets, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday that Cooks doesn't necessarily need to practice this week in order to avoid the inactive list ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Cooks didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and likely will be limited if he returns Friday.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sitting out practice, but improving
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Head coach Mike McCarthy said that Cooks (knee) won't practice Thursday, but the wideout is showing improvement and will work out alongside the Cowboys' other rehabbing players, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Cooks is set to go down as a non-participant on the both of the Cowboys' first two Week 2 injury reports, but as long as he's able to take part in some drills Friday, he'll still have a chance at suiting up this Sunday against the Jets. In his Dallas debut this past Sunday against the Giants, Cooks caught two passes for 22 yards on four targets while playing just 56 percent of the offensive snaps, though his limited usage may have been a byproduct of the Cowboys racing out to a 26-point halftime lead en route to a 40-0 victory. According to Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cooks is dealing with an MCL sprain, though the Cowboys haven't offered many details regarding the nature and severity of his injury.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: May practice Thursday
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Head coach Mike McCarthy said Cooks (knee) is "doing OK" after the Cowboys listed the wide receiver as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. "We're in a jog-through format here," McCarthy added. "I think he will try to do a little bit [Thursday]. He has a chance."
Cooks made a sudden appearance on the Cowboys' first Week 2 practice report, but he looks like he'll attempt to work through his knee issue and take part in some parts of Thursday's session. His activity level Thursday and Friday likely will be key for him to avoid a designation ahead of Sunday's game versus the Jets.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Dealing with knee issue
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Cooks was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report due to a knee injury, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
The Cowboys didn't hold practice to kick off Week 2 prep, but Cooks wouldn't have been out there with his teammates if they had done so. His status thus will be one to monitor Thursday and Friday to get a sense of his availability for Sunday's game against the Jets. If Cooks is limited or sidelined this weekend, Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert and even KaVontae Turpin could benefit from added work behind Dallas' top wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Two catches in DAL debut
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Cooks had two receptions on four targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 40-0 win over the Giants.
Cooks debuted for his fifth NFL franchise by starting alongside CeeDee Lamb for Dallas. The veteran wideout wasn't utilized much in a blowout win led by the team's defense and run game. The 29-year-old tied Lamb for the lead in receiver targets, and they were surpassed only by tight end Jake Ferguson, who finished with seven. Cooks and Dallas' entire passing attack may be asked to do more against Aaron Rodgers and the Jets next Sunday.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Already clicking with Prescott
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Cooks has shown a strong rapport with Dak Prescott through minicamp and the early part of training camp, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
The veteran wideout's ability to quickly grasp an offense and form a connection with a quarterback is a big part of the reason why he's been able to post 1,000-yard seasons for all four teams he's suited up with over his nine-year NFL career, and Cooks appears well on his way to making it five-for-five in his first campaign with Dallas in 2023. With CeeDee Lamb already drawing plenty of attention from secondaries, Cooks' ability to stretch the field figures to cause a lot of problems for defenses.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sent to Cowboys
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The Texans have agreed to trade Cooks to the Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2023 and a sixth-rounder in 2024, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Cooks, who is coming off a 2022 season in which he caught 57 passes (on 93 targets) for 699 yards and three TDs in 13 games for Houston, will bolster a Dallas wideout corps that also features returnees CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. Since being drafted by the Saints in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Cooks -- who turns 30 in September -- has been traded four times. With the Cowboys, the 5-foot-10, 183-pounder's speed and experience should be an asset to a pass-catching corps that will continue to be highlighted by Lamb, and if Cooks is able to stay healthy in 2023, an uptick in production is a plausible outcome while working in an offense helmed by QB Dak Prescott.
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Texans' Brandin Cooks: Wants to move on
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Cooks told front office personnel that he does not want to be part of Houston's rebuilding process, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Cooks reiterated his desire to play for a team with a chance to compete for a championship, which is unlikely to happen any time soon in Houston. This should not come as a surprise, as Cooks expressed displeasure when he wasn't moved at the trade deadline. He has a massive cap hit in the final two years of his deal, so Houston will likely have to eat a portion of his salary in order to move him. That was an obstacle the Texans ran into at the deadline.
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Texans' Brandin Cooks: Eclipses century mark in win
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Cooks secured five of six targets for 106 yards and a touchdown in the Texans' 32-31 win over the Colts on Sunday.
If Sunday was indeed Cooks' swan song in Houston, he went out with a flourish. The veteran wideout led the Texans in receptions and receiving yards on the afternoon, and he had a key 30-yard grab on Houston's wild game-winning drive. In a somewhat tumultuous season that saw Cooks express his displeasure with not being traded to a contender at the deadline, the nine-year veteran posted a 57-699-3 line across 13 games despite the team's shaky quarterback situation. Cooks has a massive cap hit of over $26 million for 2023, so if he's indeed moving on as appears very likely, he's made a solid case heading into free agency.
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Texans' Brandin Cooks: Reels in four passes
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Cooks caught four passes for 39 yards on seven targets against Jacksonville on Sunday.
Cooks remains one of the league's better receivers in real life, but his fantasy impact is dulled by Houston's consistently poor quarterback play. The Texans attempted 44 passes Sunday but produced just 193 yards, and it's not easy for any receiver to thrive in circumstances like those. Cooks and the Texans meet Indianapolis in Week 18.
Since the Texans run game is a mess, Cooks' targets should stay north of seven. I like his chances for some success in the red zone, but he's otherwise a risky option. I'll call him a modest flex who I'd use over Zay Jones, the Steelers WRs and the Giants WRs, but not ahead of Jahan Dotson, D.J. Chark or, in PPR, Greg Dortch.
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Texans' Brandin Cooks: Set to suit up Sunday
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Cooks (personal) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game versus the Jaguars.
Cooks made an appearance on Thursday's practice report as a DNP due to personal reasons, but it won't stop him from being available for Week 17 action. He'll be facing a Jacksonville defense Sunday that contained him to four catches (on six targets) for a season-low 20 yards back in Week 5.
