Denver Broncos - Fantasy News

Who to Start: Brandin Cooks or Demaryius Thomas?

by Mike Rose

11/11/17

NFL

Denver Broncos

Demaryius Thomas

A grudge match is set to go down in Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday Night Football when the Denver Broncos welcome the New England Patriots into town for the first time since the Pats ended Denver’s season just short of a Super Bowl berth in the 2016 AFC Championship Game.

The teams split their two meetings last season, and Denver’s Demaryius Thomas didn’t factor much into his team's win with only two catches. New England’s Brandin Cooks, meanwhile, will be getting his first taste of this AFC rivalry, a series which Denver leads 30-22 all time.

Fantasy Matchup: Brandin Cooks (13.5 PFP) vs. Demaryius Thomas (10.0 PFP)

Cooks has averaged 11.85 Dober Fantasy Points this season and enters this matchup as a 3.5-point favorite. That number isn’t very surprising considering he has Tom Brady as his quarterback while Thomas has turnover-prone Brock Osweiler throwing to Broncos pass catchers.

For the season, Cooks has made 33 receptions for 563 yards (17.1 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. He’s only managed to get over the 100-yard plateau once, which occurred in Week 3. As the No. 17 wideout in fantasy, he’s managed to accrue 85-plus yards four times and has caught at least three passes in all but one game through the first nine weeks.

Cooks could run into some trouble in Week 10 as the Broncos “No Fly Zone” defense ranks No. 5 in fantasy against pass catchers. They’ve given up only 105.9 yards and 26.7 fantasy points per game to receivers. Chris Harris Jr. will have the duty of covering the stud wideout most of the time while he’ll also attract some double teams along the way. New England will look to exploit some holes in the secondary like the Eagles did successfully in a rout of Denver last week.

Thomas, meanwhile, has struggled tremendously in 2017. He went without a touchdown all season up until last week to end a 13-game stretch in which he failed to find the end zone. He’s made 43 catches for 525 yards and the lone touchdown on the year. After showing he can get into the end zone again, he’s definitely a valuable option for your Dober Play Cards as he’ll be going up against an awful Patriots defense that ranks No. 30 against opposing fantasy wide receivers.

New England’s secondary has given up an absurd 198.9 yards and a horrendous 39.3 points per game to opposing pass catchers. So for those hoping for fantasy goodness from the veteran, jump all over this opportunity as he’s a big body in the red zone and a deep ball threat.

Even though Cooks has been productive, his best game came against a Texans defense that ranks No. 23 against pass catchers. Let’s see what he can do against Denver’s stingy defense. Go with Thomas for your Dober fantasy lineup as he looks to build on his first touchdown grab of the 2017 campaign.

Week 10 Fantasy Projection: Demaryius Thomas (+3.5) vs. Brandin Cooks