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Fantasy Football Sleepers 2016: Top 5 Undervalued WRs

By Zachary Thompson

Jun 14, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates (14) performs drills during mini-camp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates (14) performs drills during mini-camp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) gestures after a catch in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) gestures after a catch in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /

Brandin Cooks-New Orleans Saints

Cooks was a hot name coming into last year’s fantasy football season, but many owners were frustrated by a slow start to the season.  By the end of the year, though,  Cooks was clearly the team’s #1 option and was creating plenty of big plays.

He found the end zone just once in the first seven games of the year and was held under 65 yards four times.  He was expected to help make up for the departure of Jimmy Graham, but he couldn’t get much going early.

The season turned around for him, though, when he went off for five touchdowns in three weeks headed into the Saints’ bye week.  He finished the year with eight touchdowns in his last nine games totaling over 100 yards in three of his last five games.

Many experts are predicting a bounce back year for the Saints and Drew Brees, and if New Orleans is going to have success passing, Cooks will likely be right in the middle of all the action.  He’s clearly the team’s go-to option for big plays and short passes with plenty of yards-after-the-catch (YAC) potential.

He is reportedly tearing up training camp with big plays all the time (for what little that is worth), and I think he could emerge as a top-ten option if he becomes Brees’s go-to on a regular basis.  Coming into the preseason, he’s usually being ranked right around 15 which I think is a great place to target him for some value.  He isn’t a deep sleeper (more on them later), but he is getting undervalued at this early part of the preseason after a strong finish last season and a ton of promise coming into this one.

Next: Will a new offense help this WR to a huge season?

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