BrandinCooks

News: 4 days agoCooks failed to compile any stats while playing 23 snaps on offense in Sunday's 39-34 win over the Bengals.

Spin: Cooks saw one look from Josh Allen on the day, ultimately drawing a pass interference penalty on cornerback DJ Turner early in the third quarter, so it didn't qualify as a target officially. The wide receiver finished fourth on the team at his position in offensive snaps, sitting behind Gabe Davis (37), Tyrell Shavers (36) and Khalil Shakir (32) but ahead of Keon Coleman (18). Cooks figures to have limited upside moving forward while operating as low as he does on the depth chart.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Cooks reunited with the Saints -- the team that drafted him in 2014 -- after bouncing around the league (four stops) since departing New Orleans in 2017. The former first-round pick has had his stretches of WR2 production (seven of 11 seasons have resulted in a top-25 finish in fantasy PPG), but he hasn't had a finish better than 37th since 2021 and he fell to a career-low 76th in 2024. Now 31 years old, Cooks is expected to slide in as the Saints' No. 3 receiver behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. He'll likely see a handful of targets most weeks, but consistent fantasy output is a long shot, especially with Spencer Rattler and/or rookie Tyler Shough under center. Cooks is worth consideration only in the late rounds.