Brandin Cooks or Diontae Johnson: Who should I start for Fantasy Football Week 14

Diontae Johnson and Brandin Cooks are two of the most undervalued wide receivers.

Johnson is a former Pro Bowler who seems to have been surpassed by sophomore Kenny Pickens in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cooks is tied with Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson for the most traded player in NFL history, with five transactions.

Therefore, they will not attract much fantasy interest, but if one is willing to bet on one of them, who will it be?

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Is Brandin Cooks a good fantasy pick in Week 14?

Brandin Cooks celebrates a touhdown vs Washington Commanders.

Brandin Cooks is doing quite well in Arlington, solidifying himself as the Dallas Cowboys' clear-cut WR2 with 33 catches for 452 yards and for touchdowns.

However, hurting his stock somewhat is that despite being the WR2, he's not the second-most prolific pass-catcher on the team. That would be tight end Jake Ferguson, who is two shy of 500 yards and has scored five touchdowns.

That's why it probably says much when Jerry Jones gambles on bringing in Martavis Bryant, coming off an indefinite suspension for marijuana, to potentially compete for a spot in the rotation.

Nevertheless, Cooks, who sits at WR #25 with 7.5 projected points, is expected to remain a key piece.

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Is Diontae Johnson a good fantasy pick in Week 14?

Diontae Johnson runs a route vs Tennessee Titans.

After the 2021-22 season, Diontae Johnson was pegged as a potential breakout star for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He had breached 1,000 yards for the first time en route a Pro Bowl appearance. Moreover, just before the preseason began, he was rewarded with a 10-year extension.

Then 2022-23 came. He had 86 catches - in itself not a poor feat. Unfortunately, Johnson failed to hit the end zone for the first time as a pro, while George Pickens had four scores from 52 catches.

An ankle injury has sapped the former punt return leader's momentum in 2023-24, putting him at WR #34 and just 6.6 points heading into Week 14.

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Whom should I start between Brandin Cooks and Diontae Johnson?

Brandin Cooks vs Diontae Johnson fantasy stats comparison

In one of the closest stat matchups the Start/Sit Optimizer has done, Brandin Cooks somehow wins despite losing in almost all the categories.

He will not be as prolific a catcher or gainer of yards against the Philadelphia Eagles as Diontae Johnson will be against the New England Patriots. However, he can be trusted more to score, even if not every pass goes to him, and the strength of the opponent may also play a factor.

The Eagles are still the team to beat in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Patriots are just one loss away from being eliminated from playoff contention and may sink further to their worst record since Bill Belichick became coach.