Jared Cook is hoping to carry over his momentum from the second half of last season into 2020, a stretch that included seven touchdown receptions in the eight games after New Orleans' bye. One of those came against the Bucs in Week 11. In fact, Cook scored in both games against Tampa in 2019. Good bet he'll find the end zone in this one. He slots as our No. 8 TE.
Fantasy Upside
Jared Cook quietly became one of the better tight ends in the league as the 2019 season wore on and grew louder during the second half of the season. Cook was the No. 1 fantasy tight end during the final eight weeks of the regular season, a stretch that saw him find the end zone seven times and crack 50+ yards six times. Cook and Drew Brees developed quite the chemistry after they both returned from injury and that connection should continue into 2020.
Fantasy Downside
The addition of Emmanuel Sanders, along with the continued development of Tre'Quan Smith, could limit the potential of Cook. Also, using our schedule-adjusted, positional defensive ranking, Cook has a tough homestretch with three games against top-ten defenses against the tight end in the final four games (though to be fair, most people probably aren't scared by the Panthers defense in 2020, whom the Saints close the season with on the road).
2020 Bottom Line
Cook is currently our No. 8 TE in half-PPR and you can make an argument for him after the seemingly near-consensus top five of Kelce, Kittle, Andrews, Ertz and Waller. He should still be well-utilized in the Saints' offense and a worthy selection in the middle rounds of your draft after the top group is off the board.
Week 17 at Panthers
Cook continued his second-half surge with two more touchdowns against the Titans. That's six in his last six games with two multi-touchdowns games in the last three weeks. In the first meeting with the Panthers, Cook recorded 99 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers are also banged up on defense and are ripe for the picking for another big day out of Cook. He's rolling into the NFL playoffs, so ride the wave potentially to a fantasy championship this week.
Week 16 at Titans
Cook came back after suffering a concussion in Week 14 to catch four passes against the Colts for 54 yards. His usage should climb back to where it was before the injury. Tennessee is a top-ten team against opposing tight ends in fantasy, but the Brees-Cook connection has been strong, which is a key reason he's a top-ten option this week.
Week 15 vs Colts
Cook was on fire with two early touchdown catches. But the hit he took on the second knocked him out of the game with a concussion. The early word was he was already back at practice and getting the extra day certainly helps. Keep a very close eye on Cook this weekend and have a backup plan just in case. But Cook has been rolling, scoring four touchdowns in the last three games. Fire him up if he plays.
Week 14 vs 49ers
Despite playing under 60 percent of snaps each of the last two weeks, Cook is still an integral part of the offense, with at least 85 yards during this two-game stretch. It's still a tough matchup against the 49ers, but Brees has a lot of trust in Cook. And with a tough position such as tight end in fantasy, Cook is leaning on the safer side heading into the fantasy playoffs.
Week 13 at Falcons
It took some time, but Cook is finally starting to heat up and really make his presence felt in this offense. He is on a run of scoring a touchdown in four of his last five games and he can make it five out of six against the worst fantasy defense against tight ends. It was the Falcons game that’s the outlier in that five-game stretch but he did catch six passes in that game. Cook may carve up the Falcons on Turkey Day,
Week 12 vs Panthers
Cook scored his third touchdown in four games against the Buccaneers, but that one of only two targets Cook saw his way in Week 11. He's also going up against the top fantasy defense against tight ends in Carolina. That being said, Cook is a top option with a few top tight ends out this week, namely Travis Kelce and Hunter Henry, who are both on a bye this week, which is one reason he is ranked at number six this week.
Week 11 at Buccaneers
Jared Cook was welcomed back with open arms last week. Drew Brees looked his way ten times against the Falcons and he caught six passes for 74 yards. And Tampa has been very susceptible to opposing tight ends. Cook could catch another touchdown pass against the Buccaneers, as he did in Week 5.
Week 10 vs. Falcons
Cook is another player who benefitted from the bye week, giving him time to recover from his ankle injury. He missed the two games before the bye but had found the end zone in the two games prior to his injury. Cook is looking like he'll return to the lineup and gets as good of a matchup as you can ask for as a get-back game from injury. In terms of points per game allowed to tight ends, Atlanta is the worst in the league. His streak of games with a touchdown could very well extend to three games on Sunday.
