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With recent projections that rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks could receive 70 receptions on the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints, fantasy football owners are now doing their research on the rookie.
With the departure of dual-threat back Darren Sproles and receiver Lance Moore, there is already an opening for Cooks to make a big impression his first year on the team. The Saints are hoping that the the 5-foot-10, 189-pound Cooks will help to replace the shiftiness of Sproles as well as replicate his 71 receptions for 604 yards in 2013.
Cooks finds himself in an offense that ranked second in passing yards last season, and a rookie receiver can’t complain about catching passes from Drew Brees. Obviously, Jimmy Graham is the focal point of the passing attack, but Brees hasn’t ever locked on to just one receiver. He will use whatever the defense gives him, and that can allow a rookie receiver more opportunities on the Saints than they would find in their first year with other teams.
Aside from the ability to instantly find a role in the offense, it is important to judge what Cooks could do with 70 receptions. Coach Sean Payton stated that he planned to use Cooks in the slot and outside, so it could be a little more tricky to gauge his production compared to other receivers. Nevertheless, there are statics that can be used to give a baseline read if he should make the roster for your fantasy football team.
Because of his size, some may want to lump Cooks’ projected receiving totals with those of running backs, but his 128 receptions for 1,730 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in his last college season should earn him enough credibility as a pure receiver. He doesn’t have the height or physicality of Vincent Jackson, who totaled 78 receptions in 2013, but his build is similar to that of Wes Welker and Victor Cruz, who each had more than 70 receptions last season. His new teammate, Marques Colston, ended up ranking 25th at wide receiver last year with 75 receptions for 943 yards, so he appears to be in the right system and his height and weight should not limit his success.
If you average the reception totals for every receiver who caught a minimum of 70 receptions but no more than 80 in 2013, Cooks could expect a yards total of 990.71. Yardage is important, but it isn’t the only factor that will determine fantasy success. The average fantasy rank of the wide receivers who met the requirements mentioned above was 22, while their average touchdown reception total was six. Receivers Keenan Allen and Jackson were ranked as top-20 receivers, but the five remaining wideouts were fell outside of the top 20.
What these results seem to indicate is that Cooks will have his weeks where he is productive, but you will have to put up with inconsistent performances throughout the season. His touchdown production will help boost his totals, but Graham accounted for 41 percent of the touchdown reception totals for the Saints in 2013, so there won’t be a ton of room for Cooks to find the end zone as often as you might like.
He probably won’t be a top-20 wide receiver this season, but if you can put up with weeks of highs and lows, Cooks could add valuable depth to your roster.
Jack Delaney is a fantasy football writer for www.Rantsports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @jackbmore13, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
