Who Should I Start? Brandin Cooks or Troy Franklin

Friday, January 16, 11:30 PM

Buffalo Bills veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks was traded from the New Orleans Saints to Buffalo late in the 2025 season. In his five regular-season games with the Bills, Cooks caught five of 11 targets for 114 yards. The 32-year-old deep threat has seven receptions on 11 targets for 159 yards in the last two games against the Eagles and Jaguars, though. He caught three of five targets for 58 yards in the Wild-Card win over the Jaguars, with most of his yardage coming on a 36-yard pickup. Cooks relies on chunk gains deep down the field, which could be a problem against a solid Denver Broncos' defense in the Divisional Round on Saturday. The Bills will need Cooks to step up, though, with both Gabe Davis (knee) and Tyrell Shavers (knee) out with torn ACLs. Denver's defense gave up the fifth-fewest half-PPR points per game to WRs during the regular season and tied with the Eagles for the fewest TDs allowed at six.

Friday, January 16, 11:04 PM

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin took a pretty big leap forward in his second NFL season in 2025, catching 65 passes on 104 targets for 709 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season games after posting a 28-263-2 line in 16 games as a rookie in 2024. Franklin was the team's second leading receiver this year behind Courtland Sutton, and his six TDs also ranked second. The 22-year-old was tied for 46th among all WRs at 8.3 half-PPR fantasy points per game, though, and he wasn't as productive late in the year when rookie Pat Bryant began to see a bigger role next to him in the passing game. In the last two regular-season games, Franklin caught only four passes for 17 yards, although the Broncos' offense didn't have to do much to handle KC and L.A. with most of their starters resting. Against the Bills in the Divisional Round, a defense that allowed the seventh-fewest half-PPR points per game to receivers, Franklin will be a low-cost, low-end fantasy WR in playoff formats.