Brandin Cooks signs with New Orleans: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
What a long, strange trip it’s been for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. After stops with New Orleans, New England, Los Angeles (Rams), Houston, and Dallas, Cooks is now back where it all started, signing a two-year deal with New Orleans today for $13 million. It’s a homecoming for Cooks, who was a first round draft pick of the Saints ten years ago. It’s a move that also has some dynasty ramifications. They aren’t just in regards to the value of Cooks, either. Let’s reset the dynasty landscape and possibly the panic meter after the dust has settled here.
Brandin Cooks, WR NO
And just like that, Cooks is back to where it all started as he spent his first three years in New Orleans, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and scoring 20 touchdowns in the process. His surprising trade to New England before the 2017 season started a strange journey that saw him play for the Patriots, Rams, Texans, and Cowboys over the past seven seasons. Unlike many players who get moved throughout their career, production was never the problem with Cooks as he even posted back-to-back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for three different teams (New Orleans, New England, Los Angeles) between 2016 and 2018. Over his 11 years in the NFL, Cooks has posted 710 catches for 9,532 yards and 60 total touchdowns. When you consider only 57 human beings have ever recorded 10,000 career receiving yards, that’s impressive. In short, he’s been better than good. In fact, he was simply desirable.
The challenge with Cooks is going to be assessing just what he may have left in the tank. His last 1,000-yard season came back in 2021 with the Texans and he’s hard a tough time staying healthy as of late. When you add in a history of concussions, the worry over his durability is justified. His last two years in Dallas were just not impressive, either, as he recorded just 80 catches for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns in 26 total games over the past two seasons.
The fit for Cooks in New Orleans is interesting. With Chris Olave’s future in a little bit of doubt because of his own history of concussions and breakout player Rashid Shaheed coming back from a season ending injury of his own, there could be some good opportunities for Cooks early on next season. While Cooks may not be the same player he once was, but it’s hard to look at him and say he doesn’t belong squarely on dynasty rosters. Should Olave or Shaheed fail to return from their injuries quickly, Cooks could have an even bigger role next season as well. His ADP freefall should end and start to rise as a result of him finding a new and familiar home. He’s certainly closer to the end than the beginning of his career, but he’s not washed up quite yet, either.
Derek Carr, QB NO
The Saints restructured Carr’s contract, essentially guaranteeing he gets at least one more year under center for New Orleans. He’s been fine thus far, but hasn’t really elevated the offense as much as the Saints were hoping he would. He’ll enter his third year with a lot to prove. However, with Taysom Hill likely moving on, Alvin Kamara still in the fold and the addition of Cooks, Carr looks like a player who could actually be a nice bargain right now in dynasty leagues. We’ve seen him perform as a QB1 for long stretches in his career and you won’t find many players like that with an ADP hovering around 230.
Chris Olave, WR NO
The future of Olave in New Orleans is tenuous at best. A scary bout of concussions ended his season after just eight games and is raising some serious concerns about his long-term viability and health. Also of note are rumors swirling all over creation that Olave is unhappy with the Saints and wants to join forces with former college teammates Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson with the Jets, creating “Buckeye East” in New York. The addition of Cooks won’t really mean that much should Olave recover fully and stay with New Orleans as Olave will be the WR1, regardless. However, having Cooks in the fold could open up the possibility for the Saints to at least consider trading Olave if they really are concerned about his future or if there’s some fire to the smoke swirling around his ultimate desire. Regardless, Olave is going to need to come back and produce at a high level to stop his ADP fall that’s going to be beyond 50 after the NFL Draft, whether that’s in New Orleans, New York or anywhere in between.
Rashid Shaheed, WR NO
A breakout star at the beginning of last season, Shaheed posted a 20/349/3 line in just six games, showing he was a lot more than a special teams ace in the process. Unfortunately, a meniscus injury ended his season and the hopes of dynasty managers in the process. Now a long way removed from his four-to-six month recovery window, Shaheed should be back to full strength at the beginning of next season. The addition of Cooks could take some targets away from him, but it’s hard to see him being the WR3 on the team behind Cooks the way he played last season. Much like Cooks, the future of Olave is also going to be a key in what his ultimate value is. His ADP seems to be on the rise and Cooks coming back shouldn’t really change that much.
Other Saints Receivers
The likes of Bub Means and Cedrick Wilson are the other notable receivers in the fold for New Orleans. The signing is probably worst on Means, who starting coming on late last season. If Olave, Cooks, and Shaheed are all healthy and in the lineup, it’s hard to see much of a role for him. Still, he should be held onto at the moment as this depth chart may not be done being formulated.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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