The good news is that Cooks should hold on to the WR2 role in Dallas in 2024. The bad news is that role wasn't particularly valuable in 2023 -- at least not in any sort of sustainable way. He did score eight touchdowns last year which made him startable about half the time, but he only saw 81 targets in 16 games and only had one game with more than 60 receiving yards. Don't draft Cooks before Round 13 in any format, and don't hesitate to drop him if his 2024 role looks the same as his 2023 role.
Fantasy Stats
receiving
rushing
fantasy
Year
rec
Receptions
yds
Receiving Yards
avg
Average Yards per Reception
td
Receiving Touchdowns
yds
Rushing Yards
avg
Average Yards per Rush
fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
2024
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2023
54
657
12.17
8
35
7.00
109
6.8
2022
57
699
12.26
3
7
3.50
82
6.3
3y Avg.
67
798
11.91
6
21
7.00
108
7.2
Fantasy News
Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
Cooks is dealing with a knee injury, so we'll see what his status is for Week 1 against Cleveland. When healthy, Cooks should be the No. 2 receiver in Dallas, and he's worth stashing on your bench. Last season, Cooks scored seven touchdowns in his final 11 games and reached at least 14.2 PPR points in six of those outings. In deeper leagues, you can take a flier on Jalen Tolbert (0 percent rostered) as well.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Still not practicing
Rotowire
Cooks (knee) is not participating in the portion of Thursday's practice open to the media, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Cooks has been managing knee soreness since mid-August. Coach Mike McCarthy excused the veteran wideout from two practices last week for personal reasons, but it looks like now that he's back at team facilities, Cooks is still currently sticking to rehab work. Superstar teammate CeeDee Lamb is also now back at practice but working on ramping up his activity levels, and McCarthy said both he and Cooks will do a bit more Thursday, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. It seems like the Cowboys expect both receivers to be available Week 1 versus the Browns, though Cooks' status is less of a certainty.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Will miss next two practices
Rotowire
Coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that Cooks (knee) will miss the Cowboys' next two practices for personal reasons, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Cooks, who worked with the rehab group Monday due to lingering knee soreness, will miss sessions Tuesday and Wednesday to fly back to Dallas, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. With CeeDee Lamb (holdout) still away from the team, Cooks' brief absence will provide Jalen Tolbert with another chance to lead the team's wide receiver group during practice.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sticks to rehab Monday
Rotowire
Cooks (knee) was spotted working with the rehab group at Monday's practice, Nick Harris of the Cowboys' official site reports.
Cooks made an early exit from last Thursday's session due to a sore knee, and the injury sidelined him for Saturday's preseason game at Las Vegas. Dallas likely will continue to exercise caution with the 10-year pro to ensure he's good to go for Week 1. There's also the lingering contract situation surrounding the team's top wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, whose absence from training camp has left Cooks as the current No. 1 at the position. In his first campaign with the Cowboys in 2023, Cooks posted a 54-657-8 line on 81 targets in 16 regular-season contests.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Dealing with knee soreness
Rotowire
Cooks departed Thursday's practice early due to knee soreness, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Cooks reportedly pulled up gingerly during a route during Wednesday's joint practice with the Rams, which could be how his knee soreness originated. The veteran wide receiver's injury doesn't currently look too serious, but with No. 1 wideout CeeDee Lamb (contract dispute) still holding out from camp, any time missed by Cooks could significantly impact the first-team offense in pass-catching drills. As long as Cooks is sidelined, Jalen Tolbert will have an opportunity to handle an increased role at practice.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Having strong camp
Rotowire
Cooks continues to show excellent chemistry with Dak Prescott during training camp, Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf of The Athletic report.
CeeDee Lamb's holdout has allowed Cooks to operate as the Cowboys' No. 1 receiver in camp, and the veteran has taken advantage. "He's having a hell of a camp," coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday. "I think we had a statistic last week that throughout every three catches that he's made in the team work has been either a touchdown or a big play." Cooks had a somewhat disappointing first season with Dallas in 2023, failing to see at least 100 targets while playing at least 15 regular-season games for the first time in his career. His eight TDs were his best total since 2016 though, and the 30-year-old speedster is still in great shape. Cooks still seems capable of putting up big numbers if he gets the volume, something which could depend on Lamb's status for Week 1.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Scores eight TDs in 2023
Rotowire
Cooks caught 54 of 81 targets for 657 yards and eight touchdowns over 16 regular-season games in 2023. He added 35 rushing yards on five carries.
The veteran speedster was brought in last offseason to provide more consistent support in the passing game for CeeDee Lamb, but Cooks was basically invisible through his first month as a Cowboy. Cooks' production began to pick up once he scored his first TD of the season Week 6 against the Chargers, but the 30-year-old still finished the campaign with his lowest yardage total over a 16-game slate. Despite that fact, his eight scores were his most since 2016. Cooks will get a $3 million bonus if he's still on the roster March 17, so he's a candidate to be cut before then, but his $8 million salary for 2024 is reasonable given his role.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Finds end zone in Week 18 win
Rotowire
Cooks caught six of eight passes for 39 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 38-10 win over the Commanders.
The veteran wideout put the finishing touches on the rout with Dallas' final TD of the day on a five-yard pass from Dak Prescott late in the third quarter. Cooks had a sluggish start to his Cowboys tenure and ended up well short of reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the seventh time in his career, but his eight receiving touchdowns were his highest mark since 2016. Five of those scores came in the last seven games, and Cooks could find pay dirt again in the wild-card round as Dallas hosts a vulnerable Green Bay secondary.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sleeper WRs
Rotowire
It's risky to trust Cooks on the road, but he's got a great matchup in Week 18 at Washington and should be a useful No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. Cooks has topped 10 PPR points just twice on the road this season, which was in Week 6 at the Chargers (15 PPR points) and Week 16 at Miami (10.3 PPR points). But at home he's scored at least 14.2 PPR points in five of his past six outings in Dallas. That includes Week 12 against the Commanders when he had four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown on five targets, and he could replicate that level of production in the rematch. In their past five games, Washington has allowed eight receivers to score at least 14.7 PPR points, including three duos to reach that mark (CeeDee Lamb and Cooks in Week 12, Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson in Week 15 and Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel in Week 17). Look for Lamb and Cooks to both play well in Week 18.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Rotowire
It's risky to trust Cooks on the road, but he's got a great matchup in Week 18 at Washington and should be a useful No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. Cooks has topped 10 PPR points just twice on the road this season, which was in Week 6 at the Chargers (15 PPR points) and Week 16 at Miami (10.3 PPR points). But at home he's scored at least 14.2 PPR points in five of his past six outings in Dallas. That includes Week 12 against the Commanders when he had four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown on five targets, and he could replicate that level of production in the rematch. In their past five games, Washington has allowed eight receivers to score at least 14.7 PPR points, including three duos to reach that mark (CeeDee Lamb and Cooks in Week 12, Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson in Week 15 and Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel in Week 17). Look for Lamb and Cooks to both play well in Week 18.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Significant invovlement in offense
Rotowire
Cooks recorded five receptions on eight targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 20-19 win over the Lions.
Cooks managed his highest target total since Week 10 and delivered one of his better performances of the season. He managed a pair of 21-yard receptions to account for most of his production, and he capped his evening off with an eight-yard touchdown catch that helped put the Cowboys up for good. Cooks is likely to continue to see inconsistent volume throughout the final week of the regular season and into the postseason, but he's shown the ability to deliver when called upon.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Sleeper WRs
Rotowire
Cooks comes into Week 17 against Detroit having scored a touchdown in four of his past five home games, and the one game where he failed to reach the end zone in Dallas over that span was Week 14 against Philadelphia where he was tackled at the 1-yard line on one of his two receptions. Cooks scored a rare road touchdown in Week 16 at Miami, and he'll need to score to help your Fantasy team. He has four catches or less in six games in a row and 45 yards or less in five of his past six outings. He also hasn't topped six targets in six-consecutive contests. The Lions are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and seven receivers have scored at least 12.1 PPR points against Detroit in the past five games. Cook is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues in this matchup at home.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Salvages Week 16 with late TD
Rotowire
Cooks recorded two catches (on two targets) for 14 yards and one touchdown and also had a nine-yard carry during Sunday's 22-20 loss at Miami.
Fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (6-118-1 on Sunday) continued to dominate the attention of quarterback Dak Prescott, as the former was on the receiving end of 10 of the latter's 32 passes. Meanwhile, Cooks matched his lowest target count in a game this season. Fortunately for the 10-year pro, he tallied his sixth touchdown of the campaign on an eight-yard connection with Prescott late in the fourth quarter, and Cooks will look to add to his number of scores Saturday versus a Lions defense that has given up the fourth-most TDs (19) to opposing wide receivers in 15 contests to date.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: WRs to Sit
Rotowire
Cooks had two catches for 10 yards on six targets in Week 15 at Buffalo, and he continues to struggle on the road. He's now averaging just 5.3 PPR points in seven outings outside of Dallas, and he should have another down game at Miami. Only four receivers have scored at least 10.5 PPR points against the Dolphins in their past four games, and CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson are the only pass catchers I would trust for the Cowboys in this matchup in Week 16.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Records just 10 yards
Rotowire
Cooks recorded two receptions on six targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 31-10 loss to the Bills.
Cooks' six targets were his highest mark since Week 10, though he turned in a dismal performance. His day could have turned out differently had Dak Prescott been able to connect with him on a deep pass on the Cowboys' first offensive possession, but instead he was limited to short-area targets for the rest of the game. With CeeDee Lamb accounting for so many targets in the offense, Cooks will likely remain an inconsistent contributor for the rest of the season.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Suiting up in Week 15
Rotowire
Cooks (illness) is listed as active Sunday at Buffalo, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Cooks came down with an illness Thursday, which forced him to miss the last two practices of Week 15 prep. There was an expectation from Cowboys president Jerry Jones that Cooks would be able to suit up Sunday, per Archer, and the wide receiver indeed is available. Since Dallas' Week 7 bye, Cooks has displayed a nice rapport with quarterback Dak Prescott, reeling in 26 of 34 targets for 425 yards and four touchdowns over the last seven games.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Expected to play
Rotowire
Cooks (illness), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Buffalo, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Cooks didn't practice Thursday or Friday due to the illness, but he looks like he'll be able to give it a go Sunday, even if he happens to be less than 100 percent healthy. Confirmation on the wideout's status will arrive when Dallas releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the game's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Listed as questionable
Rotowire
Cooks (illness) didn't practice Thursday or Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Buffalo, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
While a second straight practice absence isn't ideal, Cowboys president Jerry Jones said Friday morning that he isn't too worried about any of the four players listed with illnesses on the Week 15 injury report. Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports that Mike McCarthy had a similar outlook, though Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore didn't return to practice Friday. Fantasy managers should make sure Cooks isn't on the inactive list 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff this Sunday. If Cooks doesn't play, both Jalen Tolbert (illness, questionable) and Michael Gallup would project for more snaps than usual.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: Should be fine
Rotowire
Cowboys president Jerry Jones isn't too worried about Cooks (illness) missing Sunday's game at Buffalo, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Four Cowboys missed Thursday's practice because of illnesses, but Jones wasn't too worried about any of them during his Friday morning radio appearance. It sounds like Cooks is still on track for Sunday, though he might end up getting a designation on the final injury report Friday afternoon.
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Cowboys' Brandin Cooks: WRs to Sit
Rotowire
Cooks nearly had a touchdown in Week 14 against Philadelphia, but he fell just short of the goal line. Had he scored, that would have been a touchdown in five home games in a row. On the road, Cooks has been terrible, averaging 5.7 PPR points in six outings outside of Dallas. He also hasn't had more than five targets in any of his past four games, and he's a questionable No. 3 Fantasy receiver for Week 15 at Buffalo.
