TE Jared Cook - New Orleans Saints

6-6, 246

Born: 4-7-1987

College: South Carolina

Drafted: Round 3, pick 2009

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Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel, US Presswire

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Cook left the Week 14 game with a concussion

Week 14: vs San Francisco 49ers

All TE vs SF

FBG says: Bad matchup. Drew Brees continues to play at an upper-tier level here in Year 19, completing a league-best 74% of his throws - nothing new for the ultra-precise Brees. That said, he hasn't shown much dynamism of late, with the Saints' downfield attack hardly in play over the past month or so. Brees has produced just 6.8 yards per attempt since the Week 10 bye, falling below 230 in 2 of those 4 games. In other words, he's performing on a mortal level but still among the league's most efficient passers. Throwing to Michael Thomas, who's on pace to best Marvin Harrison's receptions record, Brees always boasts a stable fantasy floor, if only through volume. Last week's 30 attempts were his lowest of the season by far. Beyond Thomas, there's every-week potential but not much consistency among Brees' weapons. Tight end Jared Cook has posted 74+ yards in 3 of his last 4 games, but is occasionally shut far out of the gameplan. Running back Alvin Kamara is a true threat to score on every touch, but has surprisingly put up just 5.6 per catch during his 7-game touchdown drought. Back in Week 2, the 49ers allowed Andy Dalton to throw for 311 yards in a game fueled by garbage time. And to date, he's been the only opponent to reach even 250 against the league's most smothering unit. They lead the way comfortably in yardage allowed per attempt and per game, and only three teams have allowed more touchdowns. In their past 2 games against Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson, they gave up a total of 224 yards to the pair. The pass rush is top-notch, pressuring quarterbacks at the NFL's highest rate despite blitzing very rarely. And Richard Sherman continues to lead a shutdown secondary that's thoroughly shut down an impressive batch of receivers, including Davante Adams (43 yards), D.J. Moore (38), and Tyler Lockett (26). Sherman's Week 14 availability, however, is up in the air after spraining his knee last Sunday. This is a deep group, but he's obviously a huge piece of the 49ers' puzzle in containing Michael Thomas.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
10	vs ATL		49	6.0	74	0	0	7.4
11	at TB		49	2.0	33	1	0	9.3
12	vs CAR		38	6.0	99	1	0	15.9
13	at ATL		29	3.0	85	0	0	8.5
14	vs SF		0	2.0	64	2	0	18.4
14	vs SF	PROJ-Dodds	*	3.6	*	*	*	*
14	vs SF	PROJ-Tremblay	*	3.6	*	*	*	*
14	vs SF	PROJ-Bloom	*	4.0	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs TE 1, TE 12, TE 24

Percentile ranks

Jared Cook's percentile rank in each category, among TE with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2019 Week 13 vs ATL (6 / 3 / 85 / 0 rec)

Cook continues to play better and become a bigger part of this offense. His targets seem to have come at the expense of Ted Ginn, and he is making the most of them right now. Cook had the longest play of the game for either team when he settled into the void in coverage down the left side line and then rumbled down the field for a 40-yard gain. He caught just 3 of his 6 targets this week, but that was enough to lead the team in receiving by almost double. The Saints are a balanced enough team that they find ways to win even when their stars do not perform in a given week. Expect Cook to play a big role down the stretch and heading into the playoffs for the Saints.

2019 Week 12 vs CAR (8 / 6 / 99 / 1 rec)

Finally, their big off season signing has a great game and is looking to be worth the money they paid him. Cook now has a touchdown in 4 out of his last 5 games, had a season high in yardage, and tied his season high in receptions. Cook had a 21-yard catch to help setup a late Michael Thomas touchdown, and a 20-yard touchdown catch of his own. He ran a rather ugly out and up route, but it was just enough to fool his defender and get him wide open in the seam. There was no help over the top and the outside coverage was pulled in by a slanting Michael Thomas. Cook has recovered from the drops and fumbles early in the season and has played like a TE1 the past few weeks. The Saints lack a true #3 receiver and that should provide for several targets down the stretch for Cook as he continues to pick up the offense and work with Brees.

2019 Week 11 vs TB (2 / 2 / 33 / 1 rec)

Everything continues to turn around for Cook as he is making more plays in the offense and seems to have put the early season struggles behind him. He was the 3rd leading receiver this week behind Thomas and Kamara and he caught both of his targets. He had a big 30-yard catch where he went right up the seam and rumbled down the field for the big gain and then he had a very athletic 3-yard touchdown catch. It was Brees' second touchdown pass of the game and looked like it was going to be a pass out the back of the end zone before Cook made a leaping and acrobatic catch. He went up and over his defender and absorbed a hit from a crashing safety and still completed the catch to the ground for the touchdown. This is the type of play that the Saints signed him for, and he continues to trend towards the TE1 they thought they were signing as the season goes on.

2019 Week 10 vs ATL (10 / 6 / 74 / 0 rec)

The Saints are finally starting to see dividend from signing Cook. The big tight end tied for second on the team with 10 targets and caught 6 of them for 74 yards. He was the second leading receiver this week and had the longest play through the air when he took the ball 22 yards up the seam for a first down. It has taken Cook some time to get comfortable in this offense and he is finally playing like the TE1 they expected when they signed him. No one found the end zone for the Saints this week and there was not much opportunity in the red zone where Cook thrives. He finally seems to be healthy and should have a great matchup next week against Tampa Bay. With the return of Smith, Cook does not have to try and be the third receiver for the Saints and he can finally get back to what he is really good at.

2019 Week 6 vs JAX (3 / 3 / 37 / 1 rec)

It took until weeks 5 and 6 for Cook to get going but he now has a touchdown in back to back games and is looking like the tight end the Saints wanted when they signed him in the offseason. Cook caught all 3 of his targets this week. He caught a 20-yard floater from Bridgewater across the middle for a big play and a 4-yard strike up the seam for a touchdown. Myles Jack looked to be draped all over Cook in the end zone, but Bridgewater found a window and Cook made the catch in the back of the end zone. This is the type of play that he had been dropping or tipping to the defender earlier in the season but has finally started to catch. Cook is pushing Taysom Hill out of the tight end picture and should see his targets continue to grow as he starts to play better.

2019 Week 5 vs TB (6 / 4 / 41 / 1 rec)

Just like with Ginn, it has been a long time coming for Cook in this Saints offense. In what is easily his best game of the season, Cook caught 4 of 6 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. He set season high marks in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns this week. The touchdown was the exact type of play the Saints envisioned when they signed him in the off season. It was a 9-yard slant where he caught the ball at the 3-yard line and used his big body to power the rest of the way in for the score. Despite the touchdown, Cook also reminded everyone of his struggles when he dropped a ball that he should have caught in the end zone for a touchdown. Thankfully, Michael Thomas was able to salvage that drive with a touchdown, but it could have been a much bigger day for Cook. Hopefully this is the game that turns the season around for Cook.

2019 Week 4 vs DAL (6 / 3 / 21 / 0 rec)

This was the week of the tight end with the Saints throwing over 1/3 of their passes to the position. Unfortunately, Cook only caught 3 of his 6 targets and continues to struggle in the offense. His longest catch of the night went for 9 yards and he was out played by Josh Hill on the other side. Hill is normally a blocking tight end and has no business surpassing Cook in receiving yards. Cook has struggled in this offense both with and without Brees. If the Saints ever commit to using Taysom Hill at a single position, Cook could lose all of his value at tight end. He is going to need a big game in the coming weeks to regain trust in the Saints offense.

2019 Week 3 vs SEA (2 / 1 / 7 / 0 rec)

Another week and another poor performance from Cook. He was targeted twice this week and caught one pass for 7 yards. Maybe the Saints have seen enough of his drops and fumbles and do not feel comfortable calling his number. Saints tight ends caught 3 total passes on 5 targets for 16 total yards this week and did not play a major factor against Seattle. With Brees out, they will likely ride the hot hand each week in the offense and that just did not happen to be Cook this week.

2019 Week 2 vs LAR (7 / 2 / 25 / 0 rec)

It has not been a great start to the season for Cook in New Orleans. He was the big offseason acquisition, but he looks more like a fish out of water in this offense. Bridgewater tried to use him as a safety blanket this week after Brees went down but Cook only managed to catch 2 of his 7 targets, even dropping an easy pass that hit him right in the chest. Cook was also responsible for the Brees interception on the first drive of the game. Cook caught the ball up the seam only to have it jarred loose by a big hit from Weddle. The ball popped in the air and landed on top of Cook on the ground. After rolling around for a minute it was picked up by Johnson and ruled an interception since the ball was never fully caught and did not touch the ground. The Saints desperately want to use Cook, but he just does not look ready to be a big part of this offense right now.

2019 Week 1 vs HOU (3 / 2 / 37 / 0 rec)

It was a quiet debut for Cook with the big tight end only garnering 3 targets, and losing red zone snaps to Taysom Hill. Cook ripped off a 31-yard catch up the seam that accounted for the majority of his 37 yards, but was quiet outside of that. There was a moment late in the second half where he scooped up what looked like a Kamara fumble and had a clear path to the end zone, but was tackled and the call went unchallenged as he did not advance the ball. Cook was brought in to be the big play tight end that the Saints have been missing since Jimmy Graham, but his quiet debut may point to a bigger issue.

Latest News

Saints | Jared Cook visits the end zone twice (Sun Dec 8, 07:56 PM) - New Orleans Saints TE Jared Cook (concussion) caught two passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns on a pair of targets vs. the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14 on Sunday, Dec. 8. He left early with a concussion.

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Saints | Jared Cook has concussion (Sun Dec 8, 02:40 PM) - Updating a previous report, New Orleans Saints TE Jared Cook (concussion) suffered a concussion during the Week 14 game and will not return.

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Saints | Jared Cook leaves early (Sun Dec 8, 01:49 PM) - New Orleans Saints TE Jared Cook (head) left the Week 14 game early and is being evaluated for a concussion. He is considered questionable to return.

Our View: Cook at least caught two scores before leaving with the concussion. The score that was he was hurt on could have easily been overturned by replay but was upheld.
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Saints | Jared Cook leads team in receiving (Fri Nov 29, 01:09 AM) - New Orleans Saints TE Jared Cook had three receptions for 85 yards against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, Nov. 28.

Our View: Cook had two drops or it would have been a massive night for him. He is still well established as a top 5-7 tight end for the fantasy playoffs, although the 49ers loom next week.
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