The Los Angeles Rams employed not one, not two, but three relevant wideouts in fantasy football last season. Once Cooper Kupp went down with an injury, it was up to Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks to hold down the fort for Jared Goff . Cooks was second on the team in targets, receptions, reception percentage and receiving yards in 2018. Despite still being a WR1 for the season on a whole, coming as the 12th-highest scoring receiver in half-PPR scoring formats, he wasn’t the top fantasy performer on his own team. Cooks’ 80 receptions were the second-most in his career, and the 1,204 yards he amassed in his first season with the Rams was a career high for the veteran burner. However, the five touchdowns were his lowest since his rookie season in New Orleans, and that is what suppressed his fantasy value and created a “what could have been” season for Cooks.

With the receivers Los Angeles boasted last season, Cooks’ role in the offense was clear, and that was to stretch the field and be a threat to take the top off the defense. Cooks averaged a career-best 10.3 yards per target, but his 15.1 yards per reception paled in comparison to the 16.6 mark he posted the year before in New England. Once Cooper Kupp went down the injury, Cooks had to become a bit of a possession receiver as well, but were Cooks’ numbers affected by the Kupp injury. Let’s examine.

 

Targets

Receptions

Yards

TD

Passer Rating When Targeted

With Kupp

56

44

719

2

123.2

Without Kupp

54

36

485

3

105.9


The above numbers are a bit misleading, seeing as the Rams offense as a whole sputtered a bit when Kupp went down. The rhythm appeared off, and Jared Goff didn’t seem as comfortable or secure back there.

The Rams will employ the same three primary receivers in 2019 and Cooks will likely yet again lead the team in targets downfield, especially those of the 20+ yard variety. Per Pro Football Focus, just under 22 percent of Cooks’ targets were 20 or more yards downfield, but of those 11 receptions he made (24 targets), just two went for touchdowns. Some more production on these targets in particular could lead to a top 10 finish at his position this season.

Conversely, if Cooks isn’t scoring on some of these targets, he will need to be more productive with the red zone targets he is given. Goff does an excellent job at spreading the ball around in the red zone, but only Todd Gurley saw a larger target share inside both the 20 and 10 than Cooks. If Cooks can maintain the efficiency he displayed last season, and perhaps haul in a few long balls, the fleet of foot receiver can crack the top 10 receivers.

A lot can still happen with rosters and injuries, but Cooks could be in line for a monster start of the season, considering that he only faces one top-10 passing defense (per Fantasy Alarm’s Strength of Schedule grid) in his first nine games of the season! Sure, his schedule is backloaded with some stout passing defenses, but it’s tough to look into that too much at this point, given the number of injuries that occur during the course of the regular season. However, I don’t mind buying into that fantasy friendly start to the season for Cooks.

Fantasy Alarm’s projections are a bit down on Cooks coming into the 2019 season, projecting him for 69 grabs on 107 targets with 1,029 yards and 4.4. touchdowns. In this projection model, Cooks would put up a WR2 season (WR17 overall) and his current 41.44 average draft position (ADP) in the NFFC makes him the 16th wideout off the board. Certainly, with his downfield prowess, he has plenty of upside in the Sean McWay-led offense

In a fantasy friendly offense, Cooks is a rock-solid WR2 with enticing WR1 upside.

Statistical Credits:
profootballfocus.com
https://nfc.shgn.com/adp/football