Narrative irony is one of the more underrated elements of professional sports leagues. In a poetically hilarious move, the Dallas Cowboys recently acquired journeyman receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans. The deal is eerily similar to a move made last offseason by Dallas, in which star receiver Amari Cooper was shipped off in a cap dump trade for an almost identical package of draft picks.
Thus, this move is seemingly a downgrade talent-wise, as well as an admittance that moving on from Cooper in 2022 was the wrong decision. So, let’s dive into the NFL and the fantasy implications of this trade.
Brandin Cooks
The biggest winner of this deal is Brandin Cooks, who receives a massive upgrade at quarterback as well as a much more fitting role for his play style. Cooks will now have the chance to work more out of the slot and at Z across from CeeDee Lamb, who has begun to establish himself as one of the best young receivers in the game. Lamb will be the man in this offense, but that also means he’ll draw elite corners and potential double coverage looks. This could leave the door open for Cooks to exploit more favorable matchups. Dallas was in serious need of a field stretcher to open up the intermediate game, which is where quarterback Dak Prescott truly excels. In order to establish Cooks as a threat, however, Prescott will have to air it out a bit more, which bodes well for Cooks’ fantasy stock.
Cooks is a great fit for the Dallas offense and should add a noticeable immediate impact by opening up the playbook to more aggressive downfield throws, as well as opening things up underneath due to the threat of his elite speed. I hope you bought him while the window was open because he’ll have a legit WR2/3 price tag in his new threads.
Dak Prescott
Another winner from the trade is Dak Prescott, who gets a much-needed weapons upgrade coming off a tough finish in 2022. Cooks is a huge upgrade for Prescott over former WR2 Michael Gallup, who has his fair share of highlight plays but struggles to consistently separate. Cooks, on the other hand, is a solid route runner and provides Prescott with a big-play threat that increases his week-to-week upside. With Dalton Schultz departing as well, the addition of Cooks is a welcome sight for Prescott, who will continue to be a low-end QB1 for the foreseeable future.
CeeDee Lamb
The presence of a legitimate 2nd option in the Cowboy’s passing attack should take some weight off of Lamb’s shoulders. Cooks should provide Lamb with more space to work in the middle of the field, as his deep threat ability will pull safeties and linebackers further down the field. While the target volume for CeeDee might decrease, the quality of those targets should increase proportionally, which I would expect to create a net positive for Lamb in 2023. He remains an elite dynasty asset in all formats.
Houston Texans
The only thing this trade indicates for Houston is that they’re certainly drafting a receiver this year, likely in the first two rounds. Like many, the idea of a JSN-Stroud pairing in Houston sounds intriguing to me. I don’t see that being the most likely outcome in Houston, but it’s a nice idea to entertain. Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison, Zay Flowers, Jalin Hyatt, and Josh Downs all feel like nice fits for the Texans, who will likely just be looking to add the best receiver available rather than filling a specific receiver spot.
Nico Collins has the potential to be a nice value for fantasy managers, as the addition of a slot receiver would likely position Collins as a decently high-volume X or Z (which he can probably play either). I don’t love this trade for Houston, as I think Cooks is a lot better than a 5th round pick. But, they didn’t have much choice here, as Cooks had made it pretty clear he had little to no desire to continue his career as a Texan. Overall, this is not a bad move by Houston and a step in the right direction.
After the Texans traded Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins is the obvious beneficiary.
A breakout season is in the cards for Collins.
Agree or disagree?pic.twitter.com/b3YlbDvAPP
— Moody (@EricNMoody) March 22, 2023
The Bottom Line
I would give the Cowboys an A- for the trade, as I think Cooks is an awesome fit and a great value at the price they paid. I’ll ding them a little just because of how funny it is that they essentially swapped Amari Cooper, who I think is a better player, for Cooks.
The Texans I’ll give a C+, as the trade makes sense for the direction of the team, but the value isn’t amazing and I don’t exactly hate the idea of keeping a talented receiver around for a young developing quarterback to depend on.
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