Brandin Cooks Fantasy News and Statistics

After Julian Edelman was lost for the 2017 season with a torn ACL in the preseason, newly acquired Brandin Cooks became the New England Patriots No. 1 receiver. The 5-foot-10 speedster has the wheels and hands to accrue historic numbers, though he’s never put together a 16-game season in which he was consistently excellent week to week.

After not playing much as a true freshman at Oregon State, Cooks and Marcus Wheaton combined to form one of the most dynamic receiving duos in the nation. The pair had 158 receptions, 2,395 yards and 16 touchdowns combined in 2012. After Wheaton departed for the NFL, Cooks took his game to the next level. As a junior, he won the Biletnikoff Award and was named a First-Team All-American after catching 128 passes for 1,730 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Cooks graded out very favorably in the pre-draft process, running a 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. The New Orleans Saints selected Cooks with the No. 20 pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the fourth receiver chosen that year, following Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans and Odell Beckham Jr.

In his first NFL game, Cooks touched the ball eight times for 95 yards and a touchdown. In the process, he became the youngest player to catch a scoring pass since 1997. Through 10 games, Cooks had 60 touches for 623 yards and four touchdowns before breaking his thumb and being placed on injured reserve.

In 2015, Cooks took over as the undisputed top receiver in New Orleans. He finished with 84 receptions for 1,138 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories. However, he struggled with consistency, as he had four games with more than 100 yards but five games with fewer than 42 yards and no touchdowns.

Heading into 2016, most expected that Cooks would establish himself as one of the top-tier receivers in the game. In Week 1, he put up 143 yards against the Raiders, including a 98-yard touchdown that broke the record for the longest play in Saints history. Cooks had a strong season, but he grew frustrated with his role as quarterback Drew Brees continued to feed other receivers, including exciting rookie Michael Thomas. Cooks had his ups and downs once again, finishing with four games with fewer than 42 yards and three games with more than 142 yards.

With the emergence of Thomas, the disgruntled Cooks was deemed to be non-essential. Rather than hold onto him and be forced to pay him or let him walk, the Saints traded Cooks and a 2017 fourth-round pick to the New England Patriots for 2017 first and third-round selections. The Patriots exercised Cooks’ fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through the 2018 season.

In 2017, Cooks will be New England’s best wide receiver. Though the Patriots vary their game plans widely from week to week, quarterback Tom Brady will throw the ball enough to keep Cooks happy. If he can remain motivated and healthy, Cooks will be an important piece in a Patriots offense that has Super Bowl aspirations.