Dynasty WR Buys: Mid Range Part 3

I’m back to the dynasty side of writing with a series on veteran dynasty buys at the wide receiver position. I started off looking at three buy-high receivers. Then, I moved into the mid-range of dynasty value, beginning with a detailed dive into Tyler Boyd and Michael Gallup. As I referenced in that piece, I believe that the mid-range of dynasty WRs is a value goldmine with so many undervalued players in that group. It’s such a deep and wonderful group that I needed to discuss two further players, Jarvis Landry and Christian Kirk. Now, I want to go into two more players in Brandin Cooks and N’Keal Harry.

This area of dynasty drafts and value is the best way to exploit the current dynasty market. I’m currently recommending the strategy of grabbing early running backs in dynasty startups since there’s so much wide receiver value later on. On that note, I have two more mid-range players that are also excellent dynasty buys. Let’s jump into them!

Brandin Cooks

Brandin Cooks has a track record of fantasy success. Until 2019, he was a top fantasy receiver, providing constant value for his dynasty owners. Even though Cooks has bounced around teams, he’s found success everywhere he’s gone. Here’s his career snapshot.

Cooks began his career with the Saints, who drafted him with the 20th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was one of the youngest players in the draft, as he didn’t turn 21 years old until September 2014. Cooks made an immediate impact in Year 1, averaging 13.9 PPG and competing with Marques Colston and Kenny Stills for targets. He played 10 games before going on injured reserve with a thumb injury. During that period, he significantly outproduced those two veteran receivers and claimed the Saints’ top receiver spot.

After 2014, the Saints traded Stills and reduced Colston’s role, opening more targets for Cooks. Cooks broke out with his career-high in targets, receptions, and touchdowns, finishing as the WR13. Cooks paired exceptionally with Drew Brees, alongside weapons like tight end Ben Watson, slot receiver Willie Snead, and Colston. At this stage in his career, Cooks had just turned 22 and was a dynasty darling. Even with only one full productive season, Cooks was a second-round startup pick and a WR1.

In 2016, Cooks essentially duplicated his 2015 production despite massive turnover on the Saints. The Saints moved on from Colston and Watson, and current fantasy superstar Michael Thomas emerged as a rookie wide receiver. Thomas led the team in targets, receptions, touchdowns, and fantasy points, but Cooks edged him out in yards. Both Thomas and Cooks finished as WR1s, demonstrating that Cooks could succeed even with another target hog receiver on the same roster.

After Thomas emerged, the Saints decided to move forward with Thomas as their top receiver and traded Cooks to the Patriots in exchange for a first-round pick. Cooks immediately became the Patriots’ top outside receiver, where he would complement slot receiver Julian Edelman, outside receiver Chris Hogan, and tight end Rob Gronkowski. After Edelman tore his ACL in the preseason, Cooks solidified his position in the Patriots’ passing game. 

Cooks and Gronkowski led the Patriots’ receiving weapons, putting up almost identical numbers. While Cooks didn’t quite match his 2016 production, he formed a decent connection with quarterback Tom Brady. He played a full 16 games for the third straight season, but his yards, catch rate, and touchdowns all declined. I had Cooks on a couple of redraft teams during 2017, and I remember always feeling a bit weird seeing Cooks in the Patriots’ offense. He didn’t seem to fit in, and I would never feel comfortable starting him week-to-week. However, Cooks produced despite these issues, and his dynasty value remained solid.

Even though Cooks was solid in fantasy football, the Patriots didn’t want to give him a massive contract extension after the 2017 season. Therefore, they traded him to the Rams for a first-round pick. The Rams then signed Cooks to a massive 5-year, $81 million contract extension through the 2023 season. The deal had $49.5 million in guarantees and seemed to tie Cooks to the Rams through 2021, at least based on the dead cap figures. Cooks directly replaced Sammy Watkins as the deep threat to complement slot receiver Cooper Kupp and all-around receiver Robert Woods in the Rams’ 3WR base offense.

Once again, Cooks excelled in a new offense. He set a career-high with 1,204 yards and returned to similar fantasy production that he put up with the Saints. Despite sharing targets with Kupp, Woods, and running back Todd Gurley, Cooks was still a star. Woods outperformed Cooks in every receiving category, but the two players were close in fantasy finish at WR11 and WR13. At this point, Cooks had played 16 games and put up four straight seasons as a top-15 wide receiver, despite playing for three different teams. No matter the surrounding talent or the offense, Cooks had found consistent fantasy stardom.

Unfortunately, everything came utterly crashing down for Cooks in 2019. Cooks did start strong in Weeks 1-4. He averaged 13.9 PPG and caught 19 of 31 targets for 296 yards and a touchdown. At that point, Cooks was on pace for 76 receptions on 124 targets for 1,184 yards and four touchdowns. Considering Cooks’ previous stat lines, it seemed like nothing had changed for Cooks in 2019.

However, in Week 5, Cooks suffered a concussion, the fourth of his NFL career. While his previous concussions had never forced him to miss any regular-season time, his history of concussions was a cause for added concern. Even so, Cooks managed to return in time for Week 6. In Weeks 6 and 7, Cooks played his usual complement of snaps and continued to be a central part of the offense, although he only produced seven total receptions for 77 yards. It’s possible that Cooks continued to suffer from concussion symptoms, but it’s hard to know.

In Week 8, disaster struck. Cooks took a massive shot in the first quarter and had to exit with another concussion. He missed the remainder of that game and didn’t return until Week 12. While Cooks played a role in the Rams’ final six games, he didn’t look like the same player. The Rams also moved into a 2TE base offense, using Tyler Higbee as an every-down player alongside either Gerald Everett or Johnny Mundt. We’ll never know if the Rams chose to do that because Cooks wasn’t 100% or because they needed to mix up their offense, but either way, Cooks’ production suffered. From Weeks 12-17, Cooks was the WR65 and averaged 6.5 PPG, essentially rendering him irrelevant for fantasy football.

After 2019, the Rams decided they could no longer afford to pay Cooks’ massive salary and traded him to the Texans for a second-round draft pick. Cooks will fill the top outside receiver spot on the Texans opposite Will Fuller, and he should form a great combination with quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Texans stupidly traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals, so they have a massive void at wide receiver.

As I mentioned before, Cooks was on pace to match his previous totals before his first concussion in 2019. Cooks will only turn 27 years old in September, so he’s in the prime of his career. Therefore, if Cooks is 100% healthy, he represents a great dynasty buy, especially considering the narratives surrounding his health. I think dynasty owners still might be able to acquire Cooks for a second-round pick, which would be an excellent move. Now is the time to strike before we get too close to the season.

N’Keal Harry

Unlike Cooks, N’Keal Harry doesn’t have any track record of fantasy success in the NFL. The Patriots drafted him with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. At the time, Harry profiled as the Patriots’ top outside receiver to complement Julian Edelman in the slot. However, Harry suffered a training camp injury and started the season on injured reserve. 

Harry returned in Week 11 and played the final seven games, but he didn’t do much. He only caught 12 of 24 targets for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Harry also flopped in the Patriots’ playoff game, catching only two of seven targets for 21 yards. The Patriots had little competition at outside receiver over that period, with just Mohamed Sanu, Phillip Dorsett, and Jakobi Meyers there. None of those players is anything special, and Harry didn’t manage to overtake them.

Even with all those negatives, there is a bright side to Harry. Bill Belichick is the Patriots’ general manager and head coach, and he hand-picked Harry in the first round. I suspect that Tom Brady didn’t trust Harry, with reports coming out that Brady told Belichick that he would refuse to throw Harry the ball. Whether Jarrett Stidham or Cam Newton will be the quarterback, Belichick will have complete control of the offense and will integrate Harry more. The Patriots also didn’t add any significant receiving weapons, only drafting two tight ends in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Therefore, Harry has a clear path to targets in 2020.

On top of the added opportunity, all of Harry’s strong traits as a prospect are still present today. He only turned 22 years old in December, so he has plenty of time to gain and maintain dynasty value. Harry has first-round draft capital and had a robust production profile to justify that investment. He caught 82 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in his sophomore year and 73 for 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns in his junior year. 

Most dynasty owners spent a top-3 rookie pick to acquire him, and I couldn’t blame any of them for being sick right now. Many passed on Josh Jacobs or Miles Sanders for Harry, who produced substantial numbers in their rookie years. Therefore, the Harry owner could be looking to sell. In this class, I would slot Harry in as the 1.11 in 1QB leagues, behind Henry Ruggs but ahead of Tee Higgins. If I could give any second-round pick and acquire Harry, I’ll do that in a heartbeat, since his upside is significant. Don’t give up on a talented prospect with a great profile and solid draft capital, solely because of rookie year struggles.

Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.