Last week, the fantasy football world got obliterated by injuries. Thankfully, the wide receiver position mostly escaped unscathed. However, there are still a few wide receivers that will be potential hot waiver wire adds ahead of Week 9. One of those players is the Dallas Cowboys’ Brandin Cooks.
Should Brandin Cooks Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 9?
The veteran wide receiver has bounced around the NFL during his career. However, fantasy players had high hopes for him in his first year with the Cowboys. Unfortunately, Cooks hasn’t lived up to expectations. He is the WR68, averaging 6.4 half-PPR fantasy points per game.
However, the former Oregon State star has played better over the past few contests. Last week, he had three receptions on four targets for 49 receiving yards and a touchdown in the blowout win over the Los Angeles Rams, scoring 12.7 fantasy points.
MORE: Early Week 9 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
Furthermore, Cooks has found the end zone in back-to-back games after failing to score a touchdown over the first five weeks this season. The veteran wide receiver has seven receptions on eight targets for 85 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 25.7 fantasy points over the past two games, scoring at least 12.5 in both contests.
Unfortunately, the former Beaver hasn’t seen an increase in targets over the past two weeks. Cooks had four targets in both games. By comparison, he had four targets in all but one game over the first five weeks this season. Ironically, the veteran scored only 2.7 fantasy points in the lone contest with more than four targets, his second-lowest fantasy outing this year.
More importantly, Cooks hasn’t been the explosive playmaker downfield he was earlier in his career. The veteran WR has averaged only 26.3 receiving yards per game and 9.9 yards per reception this season. Furthermore, he hasn’t had 50 receiving yards in any contest in 2023.
Some will argue that Cooks is starting to get healthy after suffering a knee injury early in the year. While that is true, he isn’t seeing the target volume needed to be a consistent starting-caliber fantasy football wide receiver.
Cooks has only 27 targets this season, ranking fifth on the team and third among the wide receivers. He has seen more targets than Michael Gallup only once since Week 1, coming last week against the Rams.
However, fantasy players should add Cooks off the waiver wire and consider him a potential streaming option in Week 9. The Cowboys are facing the Philadelphia Eagles. Last week, they surrendered 58.8 fantasy points and three touchdowns to the Washington Commanders’ wide receivers, including eight receptions on 10 targets for 108 receiving yards and 20.8 fantasy points to Jahan Dotson, all season highs.
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