One of the worst trades, in my opinion, this offseason was Houston giving away a 2nd round pick for an expensive Brandin Cooks. In no world did that move make any sense. Cooks was a shell of himself in 2019 but is there any chance he rebounds for a nice 2020 campaign?
2019 was a disaster for Cooks. In 14 games, Cooks had 42 receptions for 583 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was basically a non-factor the whole year battling injuries. There are two ways to look at it.
A: Cooks is done and never will return to form.
B: Cooks, 26, is young enough to rebound.
The former 1st round pick from Oregon State was previously coming off 4 straight seasons of over 1,000. Two of those years came with New Orleans, one with the Patriots, and one with the Rams. Can Cooks do so with Houston?
From a fantasy perspective, Cooks does have an opportunity to make noise. DeAndre Hopkins got moved. That means 150 targets have been vacated. Will Fuller and Kenny Stills haven’t been super reliable in terms of health either. If Cooks is actually good to go, he could be in for a big season.
The last ranking I saw for fantasy, Cooks was ranked as WR36. That’s more than fair. However, I think a lot of that low ranking has to do with Bill O’Brien getting ripped off rather than potential. Cooks can be a real player. We just don’t know if his old form will ever return. It may be a big bet to take but the ceiling to become a real factor is there.
