After missing last week’s game with a knee injury, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks is ready to get back into action this week. He’s not listed on the injury report, and should be a full go when the Cowboys travel to face the Arizona Cardinals.
Fantasy Football analysis: Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks
Cooks’ stat line from Week 1 against the Giants is relatively underwhelming. He caught two passes for 22 yards on four targets. However, the two passes he didn’t catch could have flipped the script and made him one of the most talked about additions to fantasy football lineups.
The trouble this week is the matchup—the Cowboys are 12.5-point favorites—that could eliminate the need for much passing.
Start or sit in Week 3 PPR leagues?
It’s a tough call on Cooks this week. Dallas could easily take it easy with him in such a lopsided matchup. Then again, he likely wouldn’t need too much work to post good numbers.
In larger leagues or deeper ones, I think he’s worth a flyer as a flex play or WR3 this week, given his upside in this offense. In 10-12 team leagues, you can probably find a more sure thing.
Start or sit in Week 3 standard leagues?
Cooks’ value in standard leagues is similar to what we laid out above for PPR formats. He’s worth a flyer in deeper leagues just because of his upside, but you might want more certainty in smaller leagues.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Brandin Cooks
Rummaging through FantasyPros consensus rankings, one name that stands out is DJ Chark of the Carolina Panthers. He’s ranked below Cooks, 80 versus 78, but with Andy Dalton under center for Carolina this week, Cooks has some potential to catch a lot of dink and dunk stuff from the Red Rifle.