Man, the Rams offense really tricked us, didn’t it? We, the greedy little piggies snatched up whatever shares of the Los Angeles offense that we could; we ignored the warning signs, that Jared Goff struggled down the stretch last season, and that Todd Gurley’s Running Back coach warned that things “will be different” come 2019. So, we filled our grubby little paws with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, and even Darrell Henderson. Remember Darrell Henderson?
It’s a little weird to make a “the Rams offense is cooked” post the day after they drop 34 on the Cardinals, and Jared Goff throws for 424 yards. Do you know who was noticeably missing from that offensive explosion? Brandin Cooks. Owners roster him in four-of-five Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues and he hasn’t earned it lately. It’s gotten to the point with him that we have to ask ourselves if we should drop Brandin Cooks.
The Recent Performance
First off, here’s the hard part with Brandin Cooks: He has 233 yards receiving in his last seven games. That’s a cool 33.3 yards per game. For clarity, let’s ditch the game where he had one target, for no catches. The game where he was concussed. That’s 233 yards in six games. That’s 38.8 yards per game. That’s… not much better. He has three or fewer targets in four of his last six games and has just four targets and seven targets in the other two. Even Sunday, when the Rams exploded for 424 passing yards, Tyler Higbee scooped up the extra yardage, not Cooks. Cooks’ skillset just doesn’t fit the current iteration of the Rams offense.
The reason for this change is simple: the offensive line. The Rams offensive line made their engine go with Sean McVay, but their offensive line has been a mess this season. That’s why the beneficiaries of any passing yardage are Cooper Kupp, [insert tight end], and Robert Woods. They have shorter and easier routes in the offense. Unfortunately for Cooks, Goff doesn’t get the time to uncork deep shots to him more than once or twice a game. Granted, once or twice a game could be enough, but not when those deep shots come with Goff throwing off his back foot with a defender bearing down on him. It’s even harder to throw to Cooks when Goff is on his butt before his route develops.
The Verdict
In short, you should drop Brandin Cooks. Cooks and the Rams offense are oil and water right now. In dynasty, he’s an obvious hold, but the remaining schedule (Seattle, @Dallas, @San Francisco) is a slog. His best matchup is next week in Seattle, and they are in the bottom-half in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. The Cowboys rank as the fifth-worst matchup; the Niners are the sixth-worst wide receiver matchup. It’s time. Brandin Cooks isn’t built for the current iteration of this offense, as his meager output on a massive Jared Goff day reveals. If you’re wondering if it’s time to drop Brandin Cooks?
It’s time.
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(header image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/93558439@N05/20141292019)
