Brandin Cooks

Week 7 at Las Vegas Raiders

Brandin Cooks hasn't had a game with double-digit targets since Week 3, as Houston has deployed Dameon Pierce a lot more lately, so they haven't had to rely on Davis Mills as much. Still, Cooks is easily the best target for Mills and he does have a favorable matchup against one of the weaker pass defenses in the Raiders. Cooks is still a solid flex option, but we have to temper expectations now as long as Mills is under center.

Week 4 vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Brandin Cooks is going to be frustrating like this sometimes. You'll have games like Week 1 against the Colts (7-82) and then games like last week against the Bears (2-22). That's the nature of the Texans offense and quarterback Davis Mills. But Cooks is still the clear WR1 in Houston and the Chargers present a good matchup for Cooks to take advantage of and get back closer to his Week 1 numbers. It's always tough to start offensive players for the Texans, but the volume alone for Cooks makes him at least flex-worthy, especially against a banged-up Chargers team that is badly missing J.C. Jackson.

Week 2 at Denver Broncos

The Houston offense may still be rough overall, but the one constant continues to be Brandin Cooks, who got off to another strong start on his quest for yet another 1,000-yard season. He saw 12 targets and caught seven of them for 82 yards. Davis Mills will keep looking for him early and often. He'll likely see a lot of one of the best young cornerbacks in the game this week in Patrick Surtain II. In fact, no Seattle receiver had more than 50 yards in Week 1. That said, the sheer volume Cooks continues to get makes him very much a WR2 option.