X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

Engel's Offseason Angles: Brandin Cooks and NFL Draft Talk

The big free agency period has passed and we are almost at NFL Draft time. There is no shortage of news and rumors to stay updated on. Bookmarking the RotoBaller NFL Player News feed will ensure you stay informed every day.

But we also wanted to flesh out some more unique perspectives here, especially for those who continually stay abreast of possible changing player values for early Best Ball drafts and dynasty league purposes.

Engel’s Angles breaks down a notable recent trade and goes around the league for some other interesting fantasy football tidbits.

 

Brandin Cooks Now a Texan

The Texans tried to patch a hole and also save some face by getting Brandin Cooks from the Rams for a second-round draft choice and a future fourth-rounder. The acquisition of Cooks does not make up enough for the very questionable trade of DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. But it does boost Cooks’ sagging fantasy appeal.

Cooks suffered through his worst season ever in 2019, catching just 42 passes for 583 yards and two TDs as he dealt with injuries while also working as part of a crowded WR corps. He also has a concerning history of concussions, with at least five documented ones that we know of. But in Houston, he has some fantasy WR2 promise as the clear top wideout on the depth chart.

While Houston currently lacks an ideal possession/intermediate WR without Hopkins now, Cooks has caught 78 or more passes in three of the past five seasons. Plus he had four consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns before last year. So he should get a lot of targets from Deshaun Watson, upwards of 110. If Will Fuller can actually stay healthy, that will help Cooks face less double teams. He should certainly be a more consistent prime target over Fuller and Randall Cobb. Kenny Stills is reportedly not considered to be in the picture anymore. Cooks should be considered on the WR2/3 cusp for yearly leagues right now.

The departure of Cooks in Los Angeles could mean that Josh Reynolds has increased value as a fantasy reserve. He caught five TD passes in 2018 and will be an interesting late-round pick for bye week streaming. Tyler Higbee now gets further confirmation as a true top playmaker for Jared Goff after the TE came on strong down the stretch last season, as he had 43 catches and four 100-yard games in his final five outings.

Receiving
Tm Pos G Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD
2015-NOR WR 16 129 84 1138 13.5 9
2016-NOR WR 16 117 78 1173 15 8
2017-NWE WR 16 114 65 1082 16.6 7
2018-LAR WR 16 117 80 1204 15.1 5

The four best seasons of Brandin Cooks' six-year career so far, via pro football reference. He had 78-plus receptions in three of them and 1,000 yards in all four. 

 

Draft Rumors Swirling

-The buzz was peaking last week that Miami might go for Justin Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5, and that talk now seems to be cooling.  The Dolphins could take a running back with possibly a late first-rounder or early second-rounder. Miami will certainly be expected to fill the QB void that has been apparent since Dan Marino retired. Our RotoBaller Staff NFL mock draft had Jonathan Taylor going to the Dolphins at No. 26. If either Taylor of D’Andre Swift end up in Miami, either one could quickly overshadow Jordan Howard and become viable fantasy picks in the fourth round or possibly even the fifth. Last season, I won my most important league with rookies Josh Jacobs and Miles Sanders at RB. If you opt for WR early in 2020 drafts, first-year RBs can be notable value choices to fill out your starting lineup. As for the QB situation, either rookie could conceivably sit initially behind Ryan Fitzpatrick.

-There seems to be little chance that the Dolphins will be able to trade up to the top spot for Joe Burrow. The Bengals have been in regular contact with him, but also need to address a potential issue at RB. Published reports indicate Joe Mixon is willing to hold out if he does not get a long-term contract extension. As we saw with Melvin Gordon last year, every day we get closer to the season without a new Mixon contract is another day where his fantasy appeal can drop. Burrow certainly needs the star RB to be in the mix for him to operate in a stable offense as a rookie.

Advertising

-According to the Athletic, many NFL teams cannot agree on whether Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool figures to be a wide receiver or tight end in the NFL. Claypool’s status would seem to lean towards WR, but it may depend on who drafts him. If he is used as a TE by a team that takes him, then we could see some interesting eligibility scenarios in fantasy football. It would be reminiscent of 2006, when some sites listed Marques Colston as a TE even though the Saints intended to use him at WR.

 

More Names Makin’ Fantasy News

-There has been growing speculation that Jace Sternberger will get the opportunity to be Green Bay’s top TE this season. His rookie year was marred by injuries, but now a path to playing time has been cleared with Jimmy Graham gone. Aaron Rodgers has never been one to feature the TE much in the past, but that was under Mike McCarthy. The Pack could use a viable big target for Rodgers on key passing downs and in the red zone, so Sternberger should be drafted as a mid-range fantasy TE2 with some upside.

-The Jaguars fully intend to stick with Gardner Minshew as their QB, according to NFL insider Peter King. Last year, he showed he could perform well for fantasy purposes at times, such as his three 20-point plus games between Weeks 5 through 8. Jacksonville picks at No. 9 and 20 in the first round, and if the Jags land a prime WR that can only help elevate Minshew’s value as a fantasy QB2 and make him a better selection in two-QB leagues.

Week Opp Pass Yards TD Int Ruyds RuTD FL Pts
5 @CAR, 374 2 - 42 - 3 21.16
L 27-34
6 NO, 163 - 1 1 - - 4.62
L 6-13
7 @CIN, 255 1 - 48 - - 21
W 27-17
8 NYJ, 279 3 - 28 - 1 23.96
W 29-15

Gardner Minshew's 2019 game log snippet from NFL.com. This was the best stretch of his rookie campaign. 

-King also reported that the Chargers seem high internally on Tyrod Taylor, possibly even past this season. Taylor did rush for over 500 yards twice and 14 TD in three seasons in Buffalo, where he worked with Anthony Lynn for two seasons. So he does have some potential as a dual-threat QB. Our RotoBaller NFL Mock Draft had the Chargers going with Jalen Hurts in the third round, and some have even speculated that they could go for a QB as early as sixth overall, especially if Miami lets Tagovailoa slip past them. Taylor’s appeal as a fantasy QB2 will be murky until after the NFL Draft, but it would seem logical that L.A. should take a rookie with more future promise.

-Reports out of Seattle indicate that Brian Schottenheimer wants to move DK Metcalf around more and utilize him in new and different ways. In a record-setting NFC Wild Card performance at Philadelphia, Metcalf finally started winning contested catches frequently, a major step forward for him in his pro development. He may be the best second-year WR in fantasy football in 2020 and has serious WR2 potential.

Schottenheimer also expressed optimism on Chris Carson (hip) and Rashaad Penny (ACL) returning for the 2020 season. Carson is more likely to be ready for the opener than Penny. But it is apparent that the Seahawks need quality RB depth and cannot count on either Carson or Penny to stay healthy. In our RotoBaller NFL Mock Draft, acting as the draft representative for the Seahawks, I selected A.J. Dillon in the third round. Be well aware if and who the Seahawks take at RB for fantasy depth purposes.

-Some of you were hoping that Tom Brady could awaken the sleeping giant O.J. Howard in Tampa Bay. But the return of Rob Gronkowski now makes it clear that Tampa Bay is willing to move on from Howard. A change of scenery can certainly help him resurrect his career, which is still in early stages. A player with Howard's levels of talent will continue to get chances to make his mark, much like Jared Cook, who did not emerge as a true fantasy starter until later in his career.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

WIN MORE IN 2024

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Alexis Diaz fantasy baseball closers rankings draft sleepers waiver wire pickups

MLB Closers and Saves: Fantasy Baseball Depth Charts

Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball, and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance. In addition to closers and saves, relief... Read More


Do These Prospects Matter for Fantasy Baseball?

The 2023 fantasy baseball season has been highlighted by the promotion of nearly two-dozen top prospects to the major leagues to impact fantasy rosters. This week's edition features one player who was called up as the piece was being written. Will these strong performers join the ranks of those who have moved to the majors... Read More


clayton kershaw fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

articles report test

this is a test


Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome back! It's Week 24 of our fantasy baseball Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups series! There are just two precious weeks left, and every start is becoming more and more important as most of the fantasy baseball world is in playoff matchups. If you've made it this far, there's a good chance you don't really... Read More


Aaron Nola - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Starts & Sits for MLB Week 23 - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers! Big week in fantasy leagues as we approach the end of the season and playoffs! As always, we are here with our starting pitcher starts and sits series to help you set those winning lineups for the week ahead! For those who are not familiar, RotoBaller puts out a weekly grid of... Read More


Gunnar Henderson - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Prospects, Draft Sleepers

Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome to Week 24 and our fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters. We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform,... Read More


Brayan Bello - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Yo, it's Jon Anderson, continuing to run the show here in terms of late-summer fantasy baseball writing. There are just two weeks left of streaming pitchers, so let's make it count! This weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column aims to identify starting pitchers expected to make two starts in the upcoming fantasy baseball week,... Read More


Fantasy Baseball Week 24 Injury News and Updates: Tyler Glasnow, Ozzie Albies, Starling Marte, Anthony Rizzo, Zack Wheeler

September is now more than half over. The baseball season is slowly coming to a close. At this point, fantasy players are pushing for their league titles or just playing for pride. Major League Baseball teams continue to do the same and injuries continue to happen, now with the dreaded term "done for the season"... Read More


Joe Musgrove - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/17/22)

Happy Saturday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/17/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Today's MLB slates are split up as is the norm for September baseball. Half the guys I think will play will not, so you have to be as flexible as Gumby to play MLB DFS in September, but that also means that there is a lot of money out there should you dare to dive... Read More


Max Fried - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/15/22)

Happy Friday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


Robbie Ray - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, Draft Sleepers

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/16/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Fridays are big MLB DFS days and offer a nice respite from the NFL, who command our attention on Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays. This slate, like most Friday slates, is a big one as all MLB teams are in action today and 28 of those teams are on tonight's 14-game DFS slate. This was a... Read More


kyle farmer fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

There are only two weeks left of fantasy baseball! It's going to be very sad when the season comes to an end, but the impending end of the season means that these are the most important, and therefore most fun weeks of the year – for those of you still competing, at least. I have... Read More


TODAY’S MOST VIEWED PLAYERS

rotating JS ad test

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
derrick henry fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

test publish 5 mins in future

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


PrizePicks NFL DFS Picks - Monday Night Football

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Updates for Aaron Rodgers

Warning: Undefined array key "amp_post_template_footer" in /var/www/rotoballer.com/wp-content/plugins/php-code-for-posts/Classes/Shortcode.php(91) : eval()'d code on line 6 Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, null given in /var/www/rotoballer.com/wp-content/plugins/php-code-for-posts/Classes/Shortcode.php(91) : eval()'d code on line 6 Featured Promo: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off and win big in 2022. Exclusive access to our Premium articles, 15 lineup... Read More


derrick henry fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

PrizePicks NFL DFS Picks - Monday Night Football

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is finally underway and that means our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS picks site where you can choose to select plays in terms of fantasy points or single stats. The... Read More


Justin Jefferson - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS Prop Picks for Monkey Knife Fight - Monday Night Football

Welcome to NFL Monday Night Football, where we have two games scheduled between the Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles and the Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills.  Monday's games mean our friends at Monkey Knife Fight are offering some fantastic props for us to play once again! The good people at Monkey Knife Fight offer some... Read More


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Week 2 Updates for Najee Harris, J.K. Dobbins, D'Andre Swift, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram

Below you will find our fantasy football injuries report for running backs in Week 2, as of September 17. The injury statuses for various NFL running backs are up in the air for Week 2 including D'Andre Swift, Najee Harris, Alvin Kamara, J.K. Dobbins, and more. The fantasy football season may be just getting underway,... Read More


michael pittman jr. fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL WRs: Week 2 Updates for Michael Pittman Jr., Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, Allen Lazard, Julio Jones

Welcome to Week 2 of the fantasy football season and the Saturday edition of our WR injury reports! Below you will find our fantasy football injuries report for wide receivers in Week 2 as of September 16th. The injury statuses for various NFL wide receivers are up in the air for Week 2, including Michael... Read More


justin herbert fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports for QBs: Week 2 Updates for Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Jameis Winston, Mac Jones

Below you will find our updated fantasy football injuries report for quarterbacks in the days before Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season as of Friday, September 16. There are a few NFL QBs dealing with injuries, including Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Jameis Winston, and Mac Jones. Being up-to-date on NFL injury news can give... Read More


Trey Lance - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Week 2

Every week, I share some of my favored choices and players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions. These selections are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus... Read More


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, Draft Sleepers

Week 2 NFL Pick Em Selections for No House Advantage

Hello everybody and welcome! The 2022 NFL season is underway and that means our friends over at No House Advantage have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. No House Advantage is a unique DFS prop picks site where you do not have to play against the house to... Read More


Wide Receiver Matchups to Target in Week 2: Greg Dortch, Terry McLaurin, Christian Kirk

Week 1 made some things come to light as we got some clarity on some murky situations. Unfortunately, many of our WR targets for DFS last week were victims of this. Robert Woods finished the game with one reception for 13 yards, as the Titans used the rookie receivers much more than him. Brandon Aiyuk... Read More


Carson Wentz - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Thunder Dan's NFL Betting Picks for Week 2: Top NFL Player Props Bets

Football season is back! Whether you like to bet game totals, sides, or player props, I have something in here for you, and try to cover a little bit of everything! This year, I started my own free sports betting newsletter, and the good people here at RotoBaller are allowing me to share my picks... Read More


Fantasy Football IDP Injury Reports For NFL Defensive Players: Week 2 Updates for T.J. Watt, Jamal Adams, Jalen Thompson, Ed Oliver

T.J. Watt owners, you know the feeling... I had T.J. Watt in my home league last season. He was constantly checking out of games early with nagging minor injuries, but he must have led every IDP manager who started him to the playoffs. I went back to the well and drafted him early this year.... Read More