The Houston Texans aren’t the top destination to find top fantasy football talent this year. With Deshaun Watson likely not playing for the Texans anymore, which makes Brandin Cooks the best fantasy option in Houston. He’s been an under-the-radar receiver throughout his career, providing solid consistency nearly every season.
Last year, Brandin Cooks was targeted 119 times and finished the year with 81 receptions, 1,150 yards, and six touchdowns. Those stats resulted in 232 fantasy points in PPR formats, per Fantasy Pros. After averaging 15.5 points per game, Cooks ended the year as the WR17, making him a solid WR2 option throughout the season.
Cooks has everything you’d want for your fantasy football team. He has the experience, past production, and great value considering his ADP this year. Everything is lining up for Brandin Cooks to be a fantasy football darling once again. However, there is a major red flag to be aware of before considering the Texans top wideout. Let’s dive in and see if Brandin Cooks is worth a fantasy draft selection in 2021.
Fantasy Football Breakdown of Brandin Cooks
Past Production Proves His Consistency
When considering Cooks, it’s important to look at his past production. For whatever reason, he always seems to fall in fantasy drafts year in and year out. Even so, Cooks outperforms his ADP nearly every season. For example, Cooks has recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in five of his seven years in the NFL.
Additionally, he has a nose for the endzone, as he’s pulled down 40 touchdowns in his career. Although he’s on the small side, he plays big in the red zone and tends to be a favorite target for any quarterback when they throw towards the pay dirt. Cooks has been a consistent wide receiver throughout his career which has made him a consistent receiver for fantasy football.
Elite Reciever or in a Favorable Situation?
After looking at Cooks’ past production, it’s hard to find a reason to fade him at all. However, there is one red flag that can’t be ignored for the 2021 season. Throughout Cooks’ career, he has had the privilege to play alongside an elite-level quarterback, and/or, in a pass-heavy offense. Here’s a list of quarterbacks Cooks has played with since 2014.
- Drew Brees (2014-2016, 3 seasons)
- Tom Brady (2017, 1 season)
- Jared Goff (2018-2019, 2 seasons)
- Deshaun Watson (2020, 1 season)
Three of those four quarterbacks are of the elite level. Drew Brees and Tom Brady will be in the Hall of Fame one day. Say what you want about Deshaun Watson, but he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and played like it in 2020. Jared Goff is the only quarterback on that list that is not considered elite. However, the Los Angeles Rams threw for the fifth-most yards in 2018 (4,730) and the fifth-most yards in 2019 (4,669).
Cooks has benefited from elite-level quarterback play and/or pass-first offenses. He’s been a top target almost everywhere he goes, but with teammates and schemes like these, how could he not produce at a high level? He now enters a 2021 season without an elite quarterback, as Watson refuses to play another snap for the Texans and still hopes to be traded. Simultaneously, he has the sexual assault allegations hanging over him, which causes even more doubt for Watson’s availability in the NFL.
Is Cooks Worth the Risk?
He has the past production to potentially be a great pick for fantasy football. However, with the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback room in Houston, there is a legitimate reason to fade Cooks altogether. We’ll see how he does this year, but expectations might need to be tampered down a bit.
Cooks is projected to record 124 targets, 79 receptions, 1,099 yards, and five touchdowns, per ESPN. Those numbers have him projected to score 216.88 fantasy points in PPR formats, making him the WR35 on their list. For Fantasy Pros, they have him ranked as the WR37, putting his ADP at 81 in fantasy drafts.
An ADP of 81 means he’s being selected somewhere between rounds 7-9, depending on how many teams are in your league. That means he’s being taken as one of the main FLEX options this season. At his current ADP, is Brandin Cooks worth the selection? Let’s take a look at some of the players who might be available in rounds 7-9.
Some players who could be available to you are Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, James Robinson, Melvin Gordon, Will Fuller, Raheem Mostert, and Javonte Williams. In comparison to these players, Jerry Jeudy jumps off of the page first and foremost. Jeudy has a real chance to become a legit fantasy option this year and has a ton of upside. However, that’s the only player I’d consider drafting over Brandin Cooks out of the group mentioned above.
With that said, Cooks is very much worth the risk even though he’ll be without an elite quarterback or pass-first offense for the first time in his career. The Texans have a bad roster and will likely play from behind quite often. Their game script will force them to throw the ball frequently and Cooks is by far the best receiver on the roster. You can feel safe drafting Cooks, as he’ll provide you those garbage-time fantasy points to give your fantasy team an extra boost.
