Who Should I Start? Brandin Cooks or Ricky Pearsall

Friday, March 21, 3:11 PM

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks has inked a two-year $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints, per Mike Garafolo -- the 31-year-old returns to the team that drafted him. Cooks was plagued by a knee injury in 2024 -- an MCL sprain that evolved into an infection -- forcing him from seven games. Still, he was the team's clear No. 2 wideout ahead of Jalen Tolbert when healthy. Despite the time missed, he'd score the third-most receiving touchdowns (three) of any Cowboys pass-catcher. Whether or not Cooks will make an impact in fantasy is unclear. However, he provides a valuable second option on the field alongside teammate Chris Olave, with Rashid Shaheed's (knee) status undetermined after a mid-season meniscus injury.

Tuesday, June 10, 9:22 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) was healthy to take part in mandatory minicamp this week, but the team is being careful with him and want him to be ready for training camp in late July. It makes sense for the Niners to play it safe with the former first-rounder since fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk (knee) likely won't be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. If the 24-year-old can return in training camp and develop chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy, he'll have plenty of opportunity as a starter in three-wide sets in his sophomore season in the NFL. Pearsall missed the first six games of his rookie season after being shot in the chest, but he was more involved late in the year with Aiyuk out. If healthy, he should make much more noise in 2025. RotoBaller has Pearsall ranked as the No. 45 fantasy wideout.