Chris

Cooley

Cooley will likely share playing time with fellow H-backs-tight ends Brian Kozlowski and Mike Sellers during the game. He doesn’t have any fantasy value yet, but Cooley is a sleeper in dynasty leagues.

The Redskins love his toughness and especially his receiving skills. The H-back in Joe Gibbs’ offense is a complex position, and Cooley will need to learn the blocking schemes. Once he does, he should climb to a starting position and have fantasy potential.

''I’ll put his hands up against anybody’s,’' quarterback Patrick Ramsey said. ''He’s got really strong hands, that’s the one thing you’ll notice about him. He can pull it in in traffic.’'

Coach Al Saunders loves Cooley and wants him to be involved like Tony Gonzalez was for him in Kansas City. FootballOutsiders projects Cooley as the No. 2 tight end this season. We don’t go that far, but he’s a great mid-round value as an every week fantasy starter.

Again, not what we were looking for from another Redskins pass catcher. Cooley owners, though, should still keep him active in a Week 2 matchup with Dallas, who struggled in tight end coverage all last season.

Coach Mike Shanahan indicated that Cooley is making strides. OC Kyle Shanahan considers Cooley “day to day.” When asked about Cooley’s status for Sunday’s game, Kyle admitted, “I really don’t know.” Cooley should be on fantasy benches for the opener.

“I think I’ll be completely fine in the run game,” he insisted. “I think I’ll feel better when I’m running routes. I’m assuming I’ll have more endurance taking 20 pounds of weight off. I’m a slow white guy, so we’ll see.” Cooley runs about a 4.7 or 4.8 forty at his normal weight. Listed as questionable for Week 1 with a knee injury, he can’t be in fantasy lineups against the Giants.

Cooley was limited in practice heading up to Week 1. Playing through what sounds to be considerable pain has affirmed Cooley’s toughness, but has also dramatically reduced his effectiveness. Fred Davis is now the tight end to own in Washington.

“It wasn’t anything that we didn’t see before [in practice],” Shanahan said. “He took advantage of an opportunity showing people in the NFL that he belongs. He can make big plays.” Chris Cooley (knee) recently revealed that he’s pushing against doctors’ expectations by playing in September. Davis’ increased snaps are likely to carry over to this week’s game against the Cardinals.

The Redskins lined up in multiple tight end sets on nearly 80 percent of their plays in Week 1. “What a couple of tight ends enable you to do is present a different package to the defense,” Shanahan said. The Redskins appear to finally see how effective Davis can be as a pass-catcher and will get him on the field despite Chris Cooley’s health.