There aren’t many Houston Texans that end up on draft day fantasy football rosters because it is almost as though the organization is in full-on tank mode like Indianapolis did to land QB Andrew Luck. However, one of the noteworthy exceptions is wide receiver Brandin Cooks — an 8-year pro who has remained unheralded because he has played with too many teams to be regarded as a franchise guy.
Below, we look at Brandin Cooks‘ 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
The truth about Cooks is that, while teams have been very willing to move on from him, it hasn’t impacted his production. He has topped 1,000 receiving yards in 6 of the last 7 seasons with 4 different teams (the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Texans). He has hauled in more than 1,000 yards in both his seasons in Houston despite being the only show in town at wide receiver and he set a career-high in receptions in 2021 with 90.
Brandin Cooks’ ADP: 54.14
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
The 6th round in 10-player drafts has been dominated by wide receivers. Of the 10 picks between 50-59, wide receivers have accounted for 7 of them and Cooks finds himself right in the middle of that receiver run.
With his current ADP of 54.14, Cooks finds himself a little behind Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions) at 52.26, DK Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks) at 53.38 and in front Adam Thielen (Minnesota Vikings) at 56.62 and Allen Robinson (Los Angeles Rams) at 57.29.
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Brandin Cooks’ 2021 stats
Games: 16
Receptions | targets: 90 | 134
Receiving yards: 1,037
Receiving touchdowns: 6
Where should you draft Cooks?
There are certain teams I avoid like the plague because I’m never convinced their offense is going to put up enough points to be viable when you have other options from more prolific offenses. Houston has a problem and is one of those teams.
Cooks’ stock took a big hit last season when it was obvious QB Deshaun Watson wasn’t going to play and the organization made no effort to sign a veteran to at least compete with rookie QB Davis Mills. Fast forward a year and nothing has changed. The only difference is fantasy owners are schooled up to the fact that “garbage time” points when your team is down by 20 points count the same as those for players on teams that win most of their games.
While I would definitely have Robinson ahead of Cooks and, because of his touchdown prowess in the Red Zone, likely have Thielen in front of him, it’s hard to let Cooks last too long. You can’t argue the production. If a player who spent his career on the same team and had six 1,000-yard seasons in his last 7 years, he would already be a lock for a Ring of Honor slot and start getting Hall of Fame buzz. Because he’s a career nomad, Cooks hasn’t received that level of respect — despite deserving it.
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