The Cowboys placed WR Brandin Cooks (knee) on injured reserve.

Cooks, dealing with an infection in his knee. will miss at least the next four games against the Steelers, Lions, 49ers and Falcons. The Cowboys also have their bye week in there in Week 7. Jalen Tolbert slides in as the No. 2 wide receiver with not much fantasy value.

The Cowboys will be without WR Brandin Cooks for at least this week vs. Pittsburgh and potentially longer after an infection developed in his right knee following a procedure he had after remaining in NY following the win against the Giants, according to multiple sources.

Related Players: Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin

Cooks looked as if he were set up to get a ton of work in this pass-heavy option, but it never came to fruition, as he turned 19 targets into a 9-91-1 stat line. The aging speed merchant might not return to his role if either of the Jalens can step up, and is now a drop candidate who we can aim for later in the year if he does happen to regain the de facto WR2 role.

For this week, consider Tolbert a deep Flex play, while CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson should be started everywhere.

Mike McCarthy said CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs will be limited today "not of high concern," MM said. Mazi Smith has a back issue and Cowboys still trying to figure that out.

Related Players: Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks

Looks like Lamb is on pace to be cleared ahead of Week 3. Fire him up everywhere.

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports that Lamb is not expected to report to training camp in Oxnard, California if he has not come to an agreement with the team on a new pact. The Cowboys hold their first training camp practice on July 25.

Related Players: Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy

A little extra work for third-year Jalen Tolbert would be promising after he finished his first two seasons with a combined 24 receptions. While we don't expect Lamb to miss any regular season time, we'll keep an eye on the situation.

CeeDee Lamb's absence has opened up opportunities for the Cowboys' young wide receivers, such as Jalen Tolbert, their third-round pick in 2022. After releasing Michael Gallup earlier in the offseason and not addressing the position yet with a known commodity in free agency or early in the draft, Tolbert has the chance to take the No. 3 role behind Lamb and Brandin Cooks.

Related Players: Ryan Flournoy

Tolbert has had modest numbers through his first two professional seasons and was inactive for nine games during his rookie year. If he locks in the WR3 job he could be an interesting dart throw late in drafts.

The Cowboys again have high expectations for Jalen Tolbert heading into the 2023 season.

“We had high expectations last year for him,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday. “He’s living up those we had for him last year this year without equivocation.”

Tolbert has locked up the fourth wide receiver spot behind CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup, executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday.

Last year, Tolbert appeared in only eight games, playing 89 offensive snaps and 53 on special teams and making only two catches for 12 yards. While this is likely only news for deeper leagues, Tolbert could be an injury away from having fantasy value.

As the status of Cardinals star WR DeAndre Hopkins comes into focus, talks are ramping up among the interested teams. Similar to Brandin Cooks, a trade would likely mean an altered contract.

Related Players: Marquise Brown

Hopkins will obviously demand a high target share, so wherever he goes, it will be at the expense of another wide receiver's volume. Back in Arizona, Hollywood Brown could operate as more of a WR1 but we still aren't sure who will be throwing him the ball in the beginning of the year.

Wanting to add speed and a complement to Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys acquired Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Sunday for a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a sixth-round pick in 2024.

Related Players: Michael Gallup, Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Noah Brown

As the luster has worn off of Michael Gallup as the Cowboys' WR2, Dallas looks to add a compliment to CeeDee Lamb. Last year's offseason additions, James Washington and Jalen Tolbert, combined for two receptions on the season. Cooks should have some useful fantasy games but is still currently ranked as a WR4.

Texans placed WR Nico Collins on injured reserve, ending his season.

Related Players: Chris Moore, Brandin Cooks, Phillip Dorsett

The writing has been on the wall after Collins missed another week of practice. He was having a decent 2022 considering his surroundings and hopefully, he can build on that in Year 3 with a new quarterback. As it stands now, Chris Moore is an intriguing fantasy option, albeit in the Flex position. It's still up in the air if Brandin Cooks will make an impact if he were to actually take the field.