Brandin Cooks, WR New Orleans Saints Rookie Fantasy Spotlight
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

The pint-sized speedster out of Oregon State has Saints fans abuzz. Brandin Cooks was this year’s version of Tavon Austin in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was our #4 overall ranked rookie wide receiver prospect, a player who runs crisp routes and plays bigger than he is by making hands catches away from his body.

Cooks is a dedicated worker with great character, and a love for football who will be accepted quickly in to the locker room. Jay Glazer conducted an informal poll among NFL decision makers prior to the Draft, asking executives who this year’s “rookie good guy” was- overwhelmingly they answered Brandin Cooks. Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has already made several public comments regarding how impressed he is with the rookie. Make no mistake, New Orleans took this kid in the first round with plans on using him right away.

Landing in the Superdome on the fast track with Sean Payton calling the plays and Drew Brees pulling the trigger- Cooks is in the ideal situation. We contrast his situation to that of other lightning fast rookies such as Sammy Watkins and Odell Beckham Jr. Guys we had ranked higher than Cooks as rookie prospects, who we don’t believe landed in situations as conducive to immediately maximizing their talents.

As we know, fantasy production is highly circumstantial. With Lance Moore and Darren Sproles out in New Orleans, Brandin Cooks will have no shortage of opportunities in one of the most proficient offenses in the history of football. It’s the reason Cooks is our #3 ranked rookie Dynasty Receiver in ppr formats. He will be on the very short-list of candidates vying for our top overall rookie receiver in re-draft leagues later this summer.

Replacing Sproles and Moore (who combined for 108 rec, 1061 yd, 6 td in 2013) while also making a comparison to Tavon Austin- we expect Cooks to produce 50+ receptions, 700+ yards, and 5+ touchdowns in 2014. We certainly won’t be surprised if those numbers end up being 70+ catches, 900+ yards, and 7 or more trips across the goal line. That type of production will result in immediate WR4/5 status in standard leagues, and possible WR3 status in deeper ppr formats.