Fantasy Football: Brandin Cooks Shoots Up Rankings with Patriots

By Fansided and Luis Tirado Jr./FanSided via NFL Spin Zone
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The fantasy football outlook for wide receiver Brandin Cooks has now dramatically shot up after being traded to the New England Patriots.

The fantasy football world got some of the biggest news in free agency when wide receiver Brandin Cooks, one of the premier receiving options of the New Orleans Saints, was acquired by the New England Patriots. Now, Cooks goes from one future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback to another, except this time, in a system that is completely suited to his strengths.

It's no secret that Cooks now brings a tremendous presence to the receiving corps of the Patriots. His ability to jump up and snatch footballs up in the air make him one of the top red-zone options in the NFL. So far in his young career, Cooks hasn't even reached his peak yet, only entering his fourth year in the league.

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    Last season, Cooks totaled 1,173 receiving yards, 78 receptions, and eight touchdowns. He even had a monster 98-yard touchdown reception in 2016. That was with quarterback Drew Brees. Imagine the fantasy destruction Cooks can unleash now with Tom Brady as his quarterback?

    The moment this trade happened, fantasy owners undoubtedly knew that Cooks went from being a top-10 option to possibly now a top-five option when it comes to drafting. Every season, it's hard to predict which wide receiver will shoot up the fantasy charts, but Cooks is easily one that could make an even bigger name for himself once he debuts for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

    It seems that Brady is nowhere near stopping his elite-level performance, even at 40 years old. Adding a potential breakout star in Cooks, who has tremendous upside to take the fantasy world by storm, proves that the Patriots mean business. From a fantasy perspective, owners now have some tough decisions to make when it comes to which top wide receiver is worth investing a high draft pick on.

    Sure, you'll have Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., and Julio Jones on top of draft boards, but when a team has an X-factor like Brady, that makes all the difference in the world. Watch out for Cooks in his first season with the Patriots since the fantasy scene hasn't seen anything yet when it comes to everything he'll bring to the table.