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.

2022 Fantasy Upside
Although his name was bandied about in trade rumblings once again, Brandin Cooks isn't going anywhere after agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with the Texans in March. Drafted 20th overall in 2014 by the Saints, Cooks has played for the Saints, Patriots, Rams and Texans after being traded three times in his career. The 28-year-old is easily one of the best players on a talent-starved Houston roster. Last year Cooks led the Texans with 90 catches for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns. Since arriving in the NFL, the 2014 first-round pick hasn't experienced the kind of breakthrough that put him in the elite tier at his position. However, as BleacherReport.com notes, the floor for Cooks has always remained high. He has failed to crack 1,000 yards only twice. The first was when he was limited to 10 games as a rookie and the second came in 2019, when he had to compete for targets with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in Los Angeles. Texans coordinator Pep Hamilton said that bringing back Cooks ensures Houston will have a go-to threat that defenses must game-plan for each week. At the very least he'll continue to provide the Davis Mills and the Houston offense with a play-making presence it otherwise lacks.

2022 Fantasy Downside
General concerns about the Texans' offense might be an issue. But it's hard to find a lot of downside given Cook's reasonable ADP.

2022 Bottom Line
If you're concerned about Mills, 4for4's John Paulsen notes the QB played pretty well as a rookie and targeted Cooks on 28.3 percent of his attempts in 12 games. Cooks averaged 6.2 receptions for 65.5 yards and 0.42 touchdowns in that span, which translates to 105 catches for 1,113 yards and 7.1 touchdowns over the course of a 17-game season. All of this prompted Paulsen to add: "As the 29th receiver off the board in early Underdog drafts, Cooks might be the biggest value at his position."