Brandin Cooks was traded by the New England Patriots to the Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots received the Rams’ 2018 first round pick (No. 23 overall). New England sent a fourth-rounder (No. 136 overall) to Los Angeles and also, the Patriots received a sixth-round pick (No. 198 overall) from the Rams.
Let’s hear straight from our experts what they think about this deal!
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Dr. Roto: Brandin Cooks to the Rams caught the NFL (and Fantasy world) by surprise Tuesday afternoon. The acquisition of Cooks gives Los Angeles a speed threat on the outside to replace the departed Sammy Watkins. Cooks should fit in nicely with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, giving Jared Goff three solid receivers to work with. The good thing about Cooks is that he is not necessarily a player who thrives on multiple targets per game. If Sean McVay can design a few plays a game for him, that might be enough for him to make a solid impact. The Rams now need to figure out how to sign Cooks to a long-term deal. Otherwise, they gave up a first round pick for a year rental. As for the Patriots, while they will miss Cooks a bit, I am not sure that he ever truly got along well enough with Tom Brady to make him a focal point of the team’s offense. Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan are Brady’s main guys, and I think the team wants to see how Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson perform in training camp. As for Cooks’ Fantasy value, he drops from a second round pick to a fourth or fifth rounder this season.
Adam Ronis: The addition of Cooks to the Rams makes them a better football team, as Cooks can play inside or outside and replaces Sammy Watkins. Cooks has great speed and the defense has to account for him. It helps Jared Goff and gives the Rams a potent offense. Robert Woods had 85 targets in 12 games, Cooper Kupp had 94 targets in 15 games and Todd Gurley had 87 targets in 15 games. Watkins had 70 targets in 15 games. It’s an offense that will spread out the football and while the Rams use a lot of three-wide sets, Cooks won’t be as good in Fantasy has he has been the last few seasons.
Shawn Childs: Don’t be fooled by the 2017 stats in New England or the success of Robert Woods in 2017. The new pecking order in the Rams’ passing offense is Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks, then Robert Woods. Cooks gives LA a two-way threat at WR where his speed can beat a team deep or turn a short slant or screen play into a long score. The Rams coaching staff is dynamic and a stud RB can only help Brandin make plenty of big plays. Look for him to be undervalued in drafts in 2018 while Kupp works the short areas of the field behind Cooks on the deep routes to get easy catches. Cooper will be the top scoring WR, but his upside in catches does take a hit with a third wheel added to the equation. Woods will still have chances to make plays while seeing single coverage on most plays, but his overall skill set isn’t strong enough to command a lead role in this offense at WR.
