Who Should I Start? Ja'Lynn Polk or Darius Cooper

Wednesday, January 7, 12:55 PM

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk's (shoulder) rehab has gone well and that he's fitting in with the group well, according to Erin Summers of NFL Network. Head coach Kellen Moore said that Polk will "be able to fill a very beneficial role here." The Saints acquired Polk and a seventh-round draft pick in 2028 from the New England Patriots back in September in exchange for a sixth-rounder in 2027. The 23-year-old former second-rounder missed all of the 2025 season due to a shoulder injury. Polk struggled in his rookie campaign in 2024, catching 12 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns on 33 targets. He'll have another opportunity to make noise in 2026 behind Chris Olave, making him one to watch in training camp and the preseason in deeper fantasy leagues.

Sunday, January 4, 9:17 AM

Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver Darius Cooper could handle a much larger workload than usual during Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Washington Commanders. Head coach Nick Sirianni indicated that he will rest several starters on Sunday, and although he didn't specifically list which players will be resting, it's fair to speculate that wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown could be among the group. If so, Cooper would likely step into the No. 2 wide receiver role behind Jahan Dotson. Cooper hasn't ascended higher than third on the depth chart this season, so we don't know exactly what his role would look like if he earns the start opposite Dotson. With that being said, he has flashed potential lately. He caught two passes for 29 yards on a 30% snap share in Week 15, and he caught one pass for four yards on a career-high 31% snap share just last Sunday. There's a strong chance that the 24-year-old rookie plays more than half of the snaps if Brown and Smith are sidelined, and that could give him low-end WR3/flex appeal in very deep leagues. Once the Eagles announce which starters are resting, managers could consider adding Cooper to be a desperation WR3/flex play in fantasy leagues with at least 14 teams.