Who Should I Start? Brandin Cooks or Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Saturday, November 8, 10:23 AM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks will take on an increased workload after Rashid Shaheed was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Cooks is expected to operate as the Saints' No. 2 receiver behind Chris Olave for the rest of the season, starting with Sunday's Week 10 contest against the Carolina Panthers. The veteran is likely second or third in the pecking order for targets, working behind Olave and perhaps tight end Juwan Johnson, too. While New Orleans' offense has struggled this season, they've also been playing from behind in most of their games, creating additional volume for the passing game, led by Tyler Shough. An uptick in targets could be enough to generate low-end WR3/flex appeal for Cooks in deeper leagues. He's a solid speculative stash in deep formats, while managers in leagues with 12 or fewer teams can keep an eye on him.

Tuesday, November 4, 11:08 AM

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to their practice squad on Tuesday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The 31-year-old held a depth role in San Francisco earlier this season, catching four of his eight targets for 40 yards in five games played. Valdes-Scantling has bounced around, with Pittsburgh marking his fourth team in two seasons. The veteran has been a useful player at nearly every stop of his career and now reunites with his former Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, in Pittsburgh. Valdes-Scantling's most productive season in the NFL came back in 2020 with Rodgers, where he caught a career high six touchdowns and led the league with 20.9 yards per reception.