Brian Quick's, Jared Cook's Fantasy Outlook After Tavon Austin's Injury

Suddenly, an investment in St. Louis Rams targets such as Brian Quick and Jared Cook from a fantasy perspective does not sound so ridiculous now that Tavon Austin is potentially out of the picture with an injury.

Already down starting quarterback Sam Bradford, Quick and Cook were risky plays in any and all leagues when also taking into account their histories. Still, the two emerged as the team's leading receivers Sunday in a two-point win over Tampa Bay against what is supposed to be a stout Lovie Smith defense:

Name	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	Fantasy Points
Brian Quick	7	74	10.6	0	7
Jared Cook	4	46	11.5	0	4

With the news that Austin went down with an injury early on, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the numbers are worth even more consideration.

Look, the organization clearly has no idea how to use the 5'8", 176-pound Austin it spent a first-round pick on, sometimes even running him between the tackles out of the backfield.

But with him out an unknown period of time, that opens up both Quick and Cook for more targets from a suddenly confident Austin Davis, who may have seized the starting job for good Sunday by missing on just seven throws and going for 235 yards.

The opportunities will clearly be there for both, as Jeff Fisher's team had a perfect 50-50 split between run and pass Sunday.

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Cook is the better addition at a more volatile position thanks to his large frame, but Quick is worth a stash as he is the No. 1 wideout and has seven receptions for a minimum of seven points in each of his first two games.

The idea to gobble up both players is only heightened by an encounter with Dallas next week. The Cowboys have given up a whopping 36 points to the tight-end position through just two games, so Cook will find success. 

Quick should as well to a lesser extent, although he seems the better long-term add.

Upon Austin's return, this will need to be reevaluated again, but Quick and Cook seemed to already be breaking away from the notion that Austin steals their production in a miserable offense.

For now, that simply is not the case, and owners should act accordingly by at the very least stashing them on benches as matchup-based plays in all leagues.

All average draft positions courtesy of ESPN. All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.