For two years now, the Tennessee Titans have been waiting for their third round pick out of South Carolina to blossom into the next great position player at TE.
And to be honest, the original scouting report on him suggested just that with his exceptional size at 6’5”-246, his even better 4.49 / 40 and his ability to create mismatches within the lanes—especially in situational downs.
Well things could get even better for Jared Cook in 2011, and that could bode well for fantasy football fans in search of a high upside TE sleeper.
In 2009, Jared Cook did nothing to really amaze anyone catching 9 balls for 74 yards.
But in 2010, Jared Cook showed flashes of what could be on the horizon.
The main fantasy football focus on him has got to be his last six games of the 2010 season where he poured it on catching 24 passes for 292 yards (12.1 avg.) and his first career touchdown.
The Titans knew Cook was an athletic player, and really began discovering what’s underneath towards the end 2010 season. Now in 2011, Offensive Coordinator Chris Palmer expects Cook to be more heavily relied on in his new single back – two TE – two WR formations he will unveil.
"He knows we are counting on him. ... My main concern is I'm going to ask him to do too many things because he is so athletic." Chris Palmer (John Glennon on Twitter)
This early situation is an intriguing one for fantasy football owners to begin paying attention to, especially if they are looking for a quality sleeper TE with a high ceiling.
The only issue as of the moment is the quarterback situation.
Palmer has already come out and said that Jake Locker will be the starter IF he winds up the best quarterback in camp.
But you have to envision the Titans eventually bringing in a free agent veteran to stiffen the competition—if I had to guess, Matt Hasselbeck...sorry fellow sleeper, Ben Obomanu.
But even if Locker does wind up starting, you can count on the Titans using Cook just as much, just with more emphasis in the short passing game.
Moral of the story is this: Whether you are PPR, Standard or Modified, Jared Cook currently has TE2 sleeper written all over him, and his eligibility and rank are likely to change as the months go by so keep checking back for updates.
Got a specific question? Leave it below, and we’ll get right back at ya.
