Week 7 at Bears
Cook made it back-to-back games with a touchdown for the Saints in what was a field-goal fest until the fourth quarter. So Cook is on a bit of a roll and now gets a Bears' defense that is 27th in PPR points allowed to the tight end position. On the other hand, no tight end has scored a touchdown against the Bears since Jimmy Graham in Week 1. Cook is a high-end TE2/low-end TE1 against the Bears with the hope of extending his touchdown streak to three games.
Week 6 at Jaguars
Cook finally found the end zone against the Buccaneers. His offensive usage continues to hover around the same amount of offensive snaps. However, the Jaguars are currently a top-five fantasy defense against tight ends and the Jaguars just pitched a shutout of Panthers' tight end Greg Olsen. But Olsen is no Jared Cook, with all due respect. Cook is worth a look with some good tight ends like Darren Waller out this week in fantasy.
Week 5 vs. Buccaneers
In terms of snap percentage, Cook took a hit against the Cowboys. He played a season-low 56 percent of the Saints' offensive snaps in Week 4. The number of snaps (39) was also a season-slow, but that was only three fewer than his previous low and only four less than his season-high of 43 against the Rams.
On the other hand, his targets went back up from Week 3. After seeing just two targets against the Seahawks, Cook saw six against the Cowboys. And for the first time this season, Cook recorded three catches. But he still doesn't have a 40-yard performance this season and has yet to find the end zone.
But this may be the week he does so. Opposing tight ends have lit up the Buccaneers so far. Greg Olsen and Evan Engram both went over 100 yards against the Buccaneers and Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett combined for 85 yards and a touchdown. The "quietest" tight end this season against Tampa Bay has been George Kittle in Week 1 with 54 yards on eight catches. Cook is worth a gamble this week in what could be a high-scoring game.
Week 4 vs. Cowboys
Cook's usage has gone way down over the first three weeks of the season, at least in terms of the number of targets he is receiving. His snap count numbers have actually gone up to as high as 75% in Week 3. But he saw just two targets in Seattle and had just one catch for seven yards. Teddy Bridgewater is locked on to Michael Thomas in the passing game, which is not good news for Cook owners. Dallas has also been pretty good so far against opposing tight ends in 2019, but Evan Engram lit them up for 116 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. If there is a week for Cook to get back on track, it's this week.
Week 3 at Seahawks
Seattle actually ranks among the best teams in fewest fantasy points allowed to the tight end. And Cook has had a quiet start to the season, catching just four passes. He was targeted seven times against the Rams. It will be very interesting to see the pass distribution, particularly between Cook and Michael Thomas, from Teddy Bridgewater. And interestingly enough, but perhaps not to Cook owners, he has only scored one touchdown in nine career games against the Seahawks and that was way back in 2013 when he still with the Rams. He also hasn't caught more than two passes against the Seahawks since 2015. At best, Cook is now a back-end TE1 until we see how he improves and how he utilized by Bridgewater.
Week 2 at Rams
Cook was hoping to start his Saints fantasy career with a bang against the Texans. Unfortunately, it was about as quiet as you can get. Cook saw just three targets, catching two of them for 37 yards. There is still plenty of upside for Cook in this offense, but the Rams are pretty good against the tight end and only allowed 36 yards on four catches to Panthers' tight end Greg Olsen in Week 1 (though Olsen did get nine targets). Cook is still a back-end TE1 for this week just because there will be plenty of points scored. The scoring will come for Cook. Week 1 may have just been starting to get Cook acclimated to the offense.
Week 1 vs Texans
Jared Cook finally broke through in 2018, finishing as the No. 5 fantasy tight end and he has a chance to really continue his streak and make his Saints' debut a memorable one. The Texans allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends in 2018. And Cook will now catch passes from Drew Brees. Cook may end up being a major factor in this game. He should have no trouble making himself right at home in his first game in New Orleans as a Saint. Cook comes in as our No. 6 tight end this week.
Fantasy Upside
For years, we've touted Jared Cook as a player with loads of upside but never could break through the glass ceiling. He finally did so in 2018 as a member of the Oakland Raiders, finishing with 68 catches for 896 yards and six touchdowns, good for a top-five fantasy finish among tight ends. He recorded four games with over 100 yards. And this was all with Derek Carr at quarterback. Now he'll catch passes from Drew Brees after signing with the Saints for $7.5 million per year. The Saints' coaches have been raving all offseason about Cook's abilities on the field. Cook is in line to be a very important piece of the Saints' offense.
Fantasy Downside
Cook certainly isn't on the level of Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz or George Kittle and he is on the wrong side of 30 years old (32). He also faces a tough schedule in the second half of the season, including projected difficult matchups against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14 and the Tennessee Titans in Week 16.
Bottom Line
If you miss out on the top group of tight ends in your draft, Cook provides a world of upside among the second tier of tight ends. Cook will dominate looks in the middle of the field for the Saints and should continue to trend of strong fantasy seasons for a Saints tight end. Keep those playoff matchups in mind, but the upside in this offense may outweigh the risk.
Week 17 at Kansas City Chiefs
The Raiders end their season coming off an emotional win in what could have been the last NFL game played in Oakland but now walk into Arrowhead for a game the Chiefs need to win to ensure home field advantage. Combine that with an implied team total of fewer than 20 points this week, and this is an offense that carries great fantasy risk to end the regular season. Kansas City has struggled against the pass in terms of aFPA to TEs, and negative game script could be a benefit here. Cook has also posted three straight great performances against this defense. He's an upper echelon TE1 option for Week 17.
Week 16 vs. Denver Broncos
Oakland hosts Denver as a home underdog with an implied team total of just 20 points. In what could be the last game the Raiders ever play in Oakland, one would expect Jon Gruden to have this team ready to play well. In fantasy though, we care more about quantifiable factors more than narratives. Denver is 26th in aFPA to TEs. Jared Cook remains the lone Raider worth starting in fantasy this week. But as last week showed, he's still one of the more volatile options at a position void of many options.
