Welcome back for another adventure into the world of fantasy football! I am your humble host Steve Lawson, and I will be taking you into the terrifying world of Houston Texans football!
A Look Inside is a series we at Club Fantasy are very excited about this summer. As one of the newest additions to the team, it seemed only fair that I draw one of the scariest assignments: finding the fantasy value in the Houston locker room.
Thankfully, there is a savior, and his name is Brandin Cooks. A wide receiver the league seems to overlook constantly, and fantasy players curse themselves for not drafting. Let’s look at the value that Brandin Cooks brings to fantasy football in 2022.
Note: No Punt Intended will air on Wednesday, May 25th, with Special Guest Heath Cummings from CBS Fantasy! We will be covering the Jaguars, Lions, and Texans!
Brandin Cooks’ Fantasy Football Value
Taking a quick look back at Cooks’ last season, you see that he finished with 90 receptions, 1,037 yards, and six TD. Now, that was with a combination of Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills at QB. Mills will once again be under center, but that is not a bad thing! He looked like he was growing into his role as the year wore on, and Cooks and Mills really seemed to click! A little more confidence in his deep ball and Cooks could be right back to his big-play self in no time!
With Houston adding some more offensive line talent in 2nd-Round slot receiver John Metchie, I believe this will help Cooks tremendously. Being the only option on a team usually means plenty of opportunities. Cooks did get at a career-high target amount at 134. However, the problem is that he was the only weapon. The next highest targeted player was Nico Collins at 60 targets. When you are that much of the offense on a bad team, it makes it easier for defenses to take you away because they fear no one else.
Brandin Cooks has eclipsed 1,000 yards in six of his eight NFL seasons. One of those was his rookie year, and the other was a strange and terrible year with the Rams when Jared Goff basically turned into a pumpkin. Look for Cooks, who is only 28 years old, by the way, to continue his run of above-average play. He can deliver that solid WR2/Flex production that can be a championship difference.
In fantasy football, you want to get those big-game ability guys. But in order to survive the lulls with them, you need guys like Cooks, who consistently put up good but not great numbers.
So, that’s kind of it on Brandin Cooks. He is currently hosting an ADP of 65th overall, which is right about where he should be drafted. He won’t win you weeks on his own, but he should be more than reliable enough to be a weekly starter.
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A Look Inside The Houston Texans
Editor’s Note: While we asked our writers to focus on one player, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the rest of the Texans, prepared by either Josh Hudson or Ryan Weisse
Davis Mills: Entering his second season — this one as the incumbent starter — Mills should be primed to take a leap in production. The Texans bolstered their offensive line (1st round OG Kenyon Green) to allow Mills time to throw. Per PFF, Mills had the 4th best completion on deep passes (20+ yards downfield) and a 6-to-1 TD:INT ratio. Any idea what Brandin Cooks does well? Run down the field. -Josh Hudson
Dameon Pierce: The 4th-round rookie RB is generating buzz in fantasy football circles because, well, who the hell else is he competing against in the Texans backfield? The team re-signed Rex Burkhead, who has one career season with more than 100 touches and is 31 years old. They also added former Colt Marlon Mack, a year removed from a torn Achilles. It’s easy to have little faith in Mack/Burkhead. Just don’t overdraft Pierce hoping for immediate RB2 numbers. This is still the Texans, who haven’t compiled ten rushing TDs from their RBs since 2019. -Josh Hudson
Nico Collins: Collins did next to nothing in his rookie year but still finds himself as the WR2 on a team that should be playing from behind quite a bit and throwing more than they want to in most games. While his rookie season was pedestrian, he did more in the last five weeks than the previous 12. During that span, he averaged over 40 yards per game and scored his only touchdown. Your bench would need to be crazy deep to draft him. The upside is the reason to consider it, he is a WR5 that could be a WR3 by season’s end. -Ryan Weisse
John Metchie: There are immediate injury concerns for the rookie from Alabama, but if healthy, he could immediately win the slot role and make a fantasy impact in his rookie year. There is no real talent ahead of him to play the slot, so the job is his to lose. With defenses forced to cover Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins on the outside, Metchie could do some damage in the middle of the field. He has enough speed to turn a small route into a long touchdown. Metchie is worth a late-round flier if you have the bench spot. -Ryan Weisse
Brevin Jordan: One of my favorite TEs from the 2021 class, Jordan displayed that potential to close out the season. He delivered two games over 40 receiving yards and three TDs from Week 8 on. There’s still plenty to improve upon, but the 22-year-old should be utilized more this season. Especially with the uncertainty in the backfield and largely unproven WRs. Outside of Cooks, they really only have 2nd-year WR Nico Collins and rookie WR John Metchie, who is coming off a torn ACL during the 2021 season. He’s a favorite late-round snag in BestBall drafts for me. -Josh Hudson
We hope you enjoyed our look at Brandin Cooks for fantasy football this season. You can find all of our A Look Inside articles here!
If you’re prepping for your dynasty drafts, you can also find our rookie consensus rankings here if you’re preparing for your dynasty drafts!