Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
As the weather gets colder, it always seems as if Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers turns up the heat with his performance, and that’s great news for fantasy owners of wide receiver Randall Cobb. He finished Week 4 with seven catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and surely had his supporters everywhere shouting “finally!”
With the re-emergence of Rodgers as one of the best passers in the NFL, Cobb and fellow receiver Jordy Nelson will continue to both put up WR-1 numbers against the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers’ Week 5 opponent. The Vikings currently rank 17th against the pass, which shows they’re just average and will get torched by No. 12.
In addition, I still believe it’s Cobb who will pose many more issues for the Vikings near the end zone than Nelson. Yes, Nelson finished with two more catches and five more targets against the Chicago Bears, but he’s the one who is constantly facing opposing team’s best corners and consistent double coverage.
Operating out of the slot, Cobb will give Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer nightmares as he has enough speed to literally run himself open. I expect Cobb to finish with well over 100 yards again on Thursday and to find paydirt at least once. In my opinion, Cobb has always been the apple of Rodgers’ eye in the end zone, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
I understand that many owners worry about Cobb and Nelson competing for looks in the offense, but both are just too good to not post big yardage and touchdown totals. Week 4 against the Bears was a prime example of this. However, the reason why I feel Cobb is a better fantasy player going forward the rest of the season is that he is a reception machine, and will always see more mismatches from the defense.
As a result of seeing more mismatches, Cobb will score more touchdowns than Nelson. He is definitely primed to take the fantasy world by storm.
Week 5 projection vs. Minnesota: nine catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns
Kyle Nault is a NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @KyleOnTheDaily.
