Is Brandin Cooks The Starter For The Cowboys When He Returns? Week 9 Fantasy Football Update

Will Brandin Cooks start for the Dallas Cowboys when he returns? Justin Carter breaks down the Brandin Cooks return timeline and fantasy football outlook.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks has been sidelined with a knee issue and will be out at least one more week before he's eligible to return.

Once he's back, will Cooks slide back into the role as the team's No. 2 receiver beside CeeDee Lamb, or has that role been taken from him?

Will Brandin Cooks be a starter for the Cowboys when he returns? Read on for the latest fantasy football updates.

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Will Brandin Cooks Start For The Cowboys When He Returns?

Brandin Cooks started the season out strong, catching four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns.

But Cooks was held under 20 yards in the next three games and has now missed three in a row with a knee injury.

Saw Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks walking on the practice field and said, I see you got those knees out.
He responded with a smile and said, “you know what that means.”
Cooks is ready to return but he has to miss four games due to being placed on injured reserve.
Two more games then… pic.twitter.com/sof4sa3FxR

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) October 24, 2024

With Cooks sidelined, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin have seen an increase in usage, with Tolbert in particular playing the role of the No. 2 receiver for the team.

Tolbert hasn't set the world on fire, but in the three games with Cooks sidelined, he's averaged 6.0 targets, 4.7 receptions, 58 receiving yards, and 0.33 touchdowns per game.

Cooks will likely be in the mix when he returns, but he'll likely be behind Tolbert in the pecking order.

Brandin Cooks Fantasy Football Outlook

Cooks had a solid start to the season, but that Week 1 game feels like a distant memory at this point. He struggled to make an impact in the next three games and now has to recover from his knee injury before he gets back on the field.

More concerning for Dallas offensively is Jake Ferguson had another poor game and the WR corps continues to badly miss Brandin Cooks.

If Ferguson continues to underperform and no other WR steps up opposite CeeDee Lamb, the passing game is in huge trouble. https://t.co/gCqFh3p4Cp

— Tom Kessenich (@TomKessenich) October 28, 2024

There's simply not a lot of fantasy upside for Cooks at this point. He hasn't produced in 2024 and now is coming back from a knee injury. Those are two tough things to overcome. Dallas will likely continue to lean on Tolbert as the top complement to Lamb.

Fantasy managers can go ahead and leave Cooks on the waiver wire, where he should already be at this point.

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