The 1840s began the American Gold Rush, and one place gold-seekers stopped at on their way to fortune was Stockon, California. Captain Charles Maria Weber sold all the supplies you needed to discover a nugget of your own in the fields of the Golden State. The town went by many names before honoring Commodore Robert F. Stockton in 1849, including Fat City, Mudville, and Tuleberg. One hundred sixty years later, on a different type of Californian field, another piece of Stockton gold was uncovered-Brandin Cooks.
Cooks led Lincoln High School in receiving notching 66 catches and 1125 yards, cementing his status as a top recruit for Oregon State, where Brandin won the Biletnikoff Award for the most outstanding wide receiver in the nation. In 2014, the golden boy from Stockton was selected 20th overall by the New Orleans Saints in the NFL Draft. Fitting, he would wear the Old gold and black on his helmet while making his league debut.
Brandin Cooks is now wearing his fourth different uniform in seven NFL seasons, this time for the Houston Texans. Heading into 2019, he had delivered four consecutive 1000+ receiving yard seasons, playing for three different franchises in that span. Despite learning new playbooks every year and having a different quarterback, Cooks earned 119 targets per year. Then 2019 happened, and Brandin battled through concussions. He had just 72 targets, 42 receptions, and 583 receiving yards.
DraftKings Sportsbook has set Brandin Cooks season receiving yards total for 2020 at 850.5. We are looking at -110 on either side. Will the Texans and Cooks find enough offense to top that mark?
If his new QB has anything to say about it, they will. Deshaun Watson heads this Houston Texans offense, that attempted a near NFL average number of passes in 2019 (33 per game). However, more promising is Watson was 8th in completed air yards (2284 yards) and 4th in attempts 20 yards or further downfield (81 deep ball attempts). Cooks, himself was 18th amongst NFL WRs last season in average target distance at 14.1 yards. This combination pairs Watson’s propensity to throw deep with Cooks’ skillset to get downfield nicely.
Additionally, DeAndre Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals vacating 150 targets from the offense. Houston’s receiving corps (outside of Cooks) features Will Fuller and Randall Cobb, neither of whom has proven capable of producing full seasons of success. Fuller’s never topped 50 receptions or 700 yards, while Cobb’s receiving glory days are five seasons in the past now. Brandin Cooks is only 27, just beginning the prime of his career. Without a true WR1 to block his path, there is reason to see him commanding the ball from Watson this year.
I believe the number (850.5 yards) is just too low. Deshaun Watson’s passing yards prop is at 4050.5, so someone is going to crack 1000 yards receiving for the Texans. If Brandin Cooks can stay out of the blue tent in 2020, he will blow away this prop. I am betting on him to deliver a shiny golden nugget down in oil country this season. From Fat City to fat pockets, take the OVER on Brandin Cooks 2020 receiving yards prop of 850.5 yards.
