Cook joined the Chargers on a one-year deal in the previous offseason. He finished the year, and possibly his tenure in LA, with a 48/564/4 receiving line. At 34 years old, Cook lost a step or two or three in 2021. His yards per target (6.8) and catch rate (58 percent) were both six-year lows for the veteran tight end. With Donald Parham likely coming back as an exclusive rights free agent and third-round tight end Tre' McKitty waiting in the wings, Cook is unlikely to get another deal with the Chargers. He will look to sign another one-year deal as a role player in the spring.

Cook is back in action after missing Week 17 on the COVID list. A popular DFS streamer last week, Stephen Anderson played 78% of the Chargers' snaps in Cook's absence, but he was targeted just once, catching an eight-yard pass. Cook will be back to handle 60-plus percent of the snaps in a competitive game with the Raiders Sunday night.

With TE Donald Parham still in the concussion protocol, Stephen Anderson is in line to start at tight end. Anderson has only run 81 routes this season, far lower than Cook's 424, and honestly too low to draw any major conclusions from. Still, Anderson has 18 targets this season for a healthy 22% target rate. The floor is non-existent but Anderson is in play as a TD-dependent dart throw. 

Even with Mike Williams and Jaylen Guyton out, Cook's role didn't change, with him finishing under 50 yards for the tenth straight game, though Cook helped his fantasy day by catching a two-point conversion. Cook will remain a touchdown-dependent TE2 for Week 17 against Denver.