Kenny Stills, Marques Colston Updated Fantasy Outlook After Brandin Cooks Injury

Drew Brees' frustrating 2014 season got worse Monday, as second-leading receiver Brandin Cooks was diagnosed with a broken thumb and could miss up to a month of action.   

Victor Howell of Cox Sports reported Cooks will miss no fewer than two games:

Cooks, the Saints' first-round pick out of Oregon State, has become by far the Saints' most reliable wideout. He's second behind Jimmy Graham in receptions (53), yards (550) and targets (70).

Expected to work mostly out of the slot, Cooks has instead been a traditional receiver far more than expected. Only 29.5 percent of his snaps have been in the slot, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), a roughly similar number to Tampa Bay's Mike Evans—whom no one would confuse as a slot option. The Saints have instead used Cooks as a utility player, lining him out wide and in the backfield in addition to slot work.

Cooks' injury should lead to workload increases for Kenny Stills and Marques Colston, both intermittently effective thus far. The mainstay Colston is third on the team in most major receiving categories, but his status has been challenged by Stills in recent weeks. The pair are averaging nearly identical numbers over the last five weeks (58.0 yards per game for Stills, 57.6 for Colston), with Colston receiving two more targets (30 to 28).

Bill Haber/Associated Press

Stills has been the more reliable of the two this season, bringing in 31 passes on his 42 targets. Colston and Brees have struggled to find a common ground, with only 34 of his 60 targets being completed.

From a fantasy perspective, the Saints' passing game remains little more than a headache. Brees spreads the ball around too much for any pass-catcher besides Graham to have much value, and Cooks' injury will change little. It's theoretically possible that all Cooks' targets will be split between Colston and Stills but far more likely that Joe Morgan or Nick Toon emerges and makes people throw things at their televisions.

Like all similar situations, it's worth monitoring Stills and Colston to see if one emerges. But until that actually happens, you're better off staying away outside the deepest possible leagues.

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