Dynasty Deja Vu: Chris Olave (Fantasy Football)
There are a lot of factors to consider when determining the value of a fantasy asset, and it is no different when evaluating the dynasty value of Chris Olave. We can look at the optimistic picture painted by his success with a new QB & new coach, finishing as the WR6 in the 2025 season. We can also look at the 2024 WR93 finish, where he had twice as many concussions as he did touchdowns. While the additions of Travis Etienne and rookie Jordyn Tyson are cause to question Olave’s target share, what about his previous injuries? How do five documented concussions shape the future outlook for Olave?
Is there a window to sell before his value tanks for good, or is there still more gold to mine?
I found myself wishing for a dynasty value blueprint to follow for this 188ish-pound, 26-year-old WR with first-round NFL capital who has sustained five documented concussions. And then I realized… an 188-ish-pound WR with first-round NFL draft capital and an extensive concussion history… we have seen this before with Brandin Cooks!
It is like deja vu.
Cooks was drafted 20th overall in the 2014 NFL draft (by the Saints no less) and has gone on to have some incredible fantasy success with five documented concussions along the way. Looking at the career production, injury history, and dynasty value fluctuation of Brandin Cooks can give us a blueprint for the ebbs & flows of Olave’s dynasty market value with regard to his concussion history and help us determine if it is a time to invest or a time to get out.
Draw the Deja Vu Blueprint
Cooks entered the league as a 20-year-old in the 2014 draft. In 2015, the second-year WR made his fantasy presence known loud & clear, finishing as the WR14. This was also the season Cooks sustained his first documented concussion. Cooks did not miss any games in 2015, and DLF Dynasty start-up data shows his value rising to 16.5 overall by the end of the season. The dynasty value for Cooks did not change following one concussion.
| Date | Age | Team | Fantasy Finish | Following August ADP | |
| Concussion 1 | 12/9/2015 | 22 | Saints | WR 14 | 16.5 |
| Concussion 2 | 2/4/2018 | 24 | Patriots | WR 11 | 34.83 |
| Concussion 3 | 10/7/2018 | 25 | Rams | WR 13 | 29.83 |
| Concussion 4 | 10/3/2019 | 26 | Rams | – | – |
| Concussion 5 | 10/27/2019 | 26 | Rams | WR 62 | 84.33 |
| – | 2020 | 27 | Texans | WR 15 | 101.83 |
| – | 2021 | 28 | Texans | WR 20 | 91.67 |
| – | 2022 | 29 | Texans | WR 49 | 118.5 |
| – | 2023 | 30 | Cowboys | WR 36 | 168 |
After Concussion One
Cooks’ dynasty market value remained in the low WR 1/high WR 2 range for several seasons, including when he was traded to the New England Patriots in 2017. The 2017 season ended with a runner-up appearance in Super Bowl LII, during which Cooks sustained his second documented concussion. After catching a pass at the beginning of the second quarter, Cooks missed the remainder of the game and recovered in the offseason.
After Concussion Two
Following the 2017 season, Cooks was traded to the Rams led by Sean McVay and Jared Goff. Despite finishing as the WR11 overall, Cooks’ dynasty start-up value dipped two rounds, going from a late first/early second round pick to a late third round pick. While the dip in dynasty value did occur following the second concussion, it is more like the change in teams, with a perceived drop in QB play, that contributed to the public hesitation.
In the 2018 season, Cooks sustained his third concussion on his way to finishing as the WR13. Despite sustaining a third concussion, Cooks’ dynasty start-up value rose half a round (according to DLF Dynasty start-up data) by the start of the 2019 season. Three concussions into his career, and the biggest dip in dynasty value came when Goff was going to be his QB instead of Brady. Three concussions into his career and Cooks continued to produce as a fringe fantasy WR1 while sharing targets with other quality players (Michael Thomas, Mark Ingram, Rob Gronkowski, James White, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, & Todd Gurley).
After Concussion Three
In 2019, at age 26, Cooks sustained his fourth and fifth concussions, the first requiring a three-week recovery. Much like Chris Olave, Cooks’ fourth and fifth concussions occurred about a month apart. Upon returning, it became obvious the Rams offense no longer intended to have a significant role for Cooks, and he was traded to the Houston Texans in the 2019 offseason. It was only after the final two concussions, underutilization by the Rams, and a trade to the Texans that Cooks had a significant drop-off in dynasty start-up value. Following the infusion of the 2019 rookie draft class, including AJ Brown, Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf, & Deebo Samuel, Cooks was going regularly in the seventh round (pick 84) of dynasty start-ups.
Bob Levey/Getty Images
After Concussions Four & Five
Between age 26 and age 27, Cooks fell 50 spots in start-up ADP. On the surface, maybe that makes sense since he was getting older and there was a lot of new hotness in the league. But if we look back, Cooks was brought in to be the Texans’ top receiver following the departure of DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. The NFL was still viewing Cooks as a WR1 while the dynasty community was taking him in the eighth round of start-ups. Five concussions into his career, and the dynasty community started to factor the injuries into the cost.
Following the Rams/Texans trade and plummet in ADP, what happened to Brandin Cooks? First, he remained cleared by medical staff and desired to continue to play football. Second, he finished as the WR15! Five concussions and three trades into his career, he continued to play like the fantasy player he had always been. In 2020, despite the different QBs, coaches, schemes, and teammates, Brandin Cooks was still producing like Brandin Cooks.
As a reward for remaining a top WR2 option despite QB play, scheme changes, and quality target competition, the dynasty community allowed Cooks’ start-up value to descend to the eighth round of dynasty start-ups. In fairness to dynasty managers, this is the offseason the Texans QB room turned into a media circus. Even though Cooks had finished as a top-15 receiver in five of seven years, it was not enough to convince dynasty managers to give Cooks the chance his career production deserved. In 2021, Cooks was the favorite target for Davis Mills and finished as WR20.
Later Career
Following the 2021 season, the now 29-year-old Brandin Cooks went on to fade in fantasy production like many great WRs in the sundown year of their careers. A concussion did not end Cooks’ production or career. In fact, in the current offseason, Cooks has signed with the Buffalo Bills as part of their muddy WR room and is flirting with going undrafted.
Throughout the changes in offensive schemes, coaches, teams, and concussions, Cooks produced as a high dynasty asset. With the exception of the 2019 Rams phasing him out of the offense in the second half of the season, Cooks’ production appears fairly comparable to the trajectory of any aging WR. Even following concussions four and five, Cook had two WR2 finishes and a WR3 finish as a 30-year-old.
While the fantasy production maintained a normal trajectory, what fluctuated was Cook’s start-up value. There was a slight fluctuation in ADP following Cooks’ second concussion before rebounding, which coincides with changing teams and QBs. The next big drop in dynasty start-up ADP occurred after the 2019 back-to-back concussions and another change in team. People who drafted Cooks in the seventh or eighth round in 2020 were rewarded with a WR15 and WR20 finish, with a bonus WR36 finish in 2023. Cooks returned on his start-up value following every concussion until he reached age 29, similar to most second-contract WRs.
We have the Blueprint
Chris Olave entered the league as a promising first-round WR with one concussion sustained while at Ohio State. Dynasty start-up data shows that Chris Olave’s dynasty ADP fluctuated very little following his second and third concussions. Much like Cooks, Olave dropped from an early/mid second-round pick (17th overall) to the top of the fourth (54th overall) in start-up dynasty ADP following back-to-back concussions in 2024. The drop in ADP is understandable, especially with questions at QB, a coaching change, and reports about retirement.
Those who took Olave in the 50s in August 2025 were rewarded with full 16 games and a WR6 overall finish from the 25-year-old WR. Olave turned 26 in June 2026 and is entering a contract year with the same coach and QB who fed him 156 targets.
| Date | Age | Team | Fantasy Finish | Following August ADP | ||
| Concussion 1 | 10/24/20 | 22 | Ohio State | – | 58.17 | |
| Concussion 2 | 10/9/22 | 22 | Saints | WR 25 | 12 | |
| Concussion 3 | 11/26/23 | 23 | Saints | WR 19 | 17.33 | |
| Concussion 4 | 10/13/24 | 24 | Saints | – | – | |
| Concussion 5 | 11/3/24 | 24 | Saints | WR 94 | 54 | |
| – | – | 25 | Saints | WR 6 | 26.83 |
Brandin Cooks continued to produce at a high fantasy level following his early concussions and has several valuable seasons following his fifth concussion at 26 years old. The career production of Cooks matches traditional trajectories for WRs, with peak years being before age 27 and tailing off as he neared 30 years old. If Chris Olave follows a similar trajectory, he could have years of high-level fantasy success ahead of him. Olave is entering his age 26 season and has already shown the return to production that 2025 dynasty start-up managers feared would not happen.
So What, Now What?
Football is a collision sport, and any given play can lead to a career-altering moment.
Concussions can be scary, and multiple concussions are worthy of concern. Fantasy Footballers Injury Analyst, Matthew Betz, shares that players “with a history of concussions are at an elevated risk for future concussions.” In the event a player is re-concussed, Betz also shares “players with a concussion history generally require more time to recover from subsequent concussions, especially if they happen in the same season.” It is completely understandable to take Olave off the draft boards due to his medical history. Olave even considered taking himself off the draft boards:
Chris Olave contemplated retirement last year after suffering multiple concussions.
Happy he didn’t. https://t.co/PKVLymlpEi
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) December 22, 2025
In recent years, there have been significant leaps in concussion research, safety protocol, and helmet technology. With every passing season, the league is becoming safer with regard to the brain. A lot can be speculated about the future health of Olave, but it is just that: speculation. One can only speculate if Olave, or any given player, will experience a concussion in the future. Betz shares, “Concussions aren’t necessarily predictable.” We don’t know what the future holds. What we do know about the health of Chris Olave is that medical professionals have cleared him to continue to play football, and he continues to choose to play. Recent data shows formerly concussed WRs can still produce at their previous production level following medical clearance.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
In 2016, Davante Adams sustained his first concussion and, in 2017 (at 24 years old), he sustained his second and third concussions within six weeks of each other (much like Cooks & Olave). Reports consider the concussions to be of lower severity. Adams followed up the back-to-back concussions by finishing as a WR 1 in seven of the next eight seasons. When Davante Adams is currently discussed, the conversation revolves around his age, the QB’s age, his coach, the other receivers on the team, pretty much anything and everything BUT his concussion history. Davante Adams has continued to produce despite sustaining concussions before age 27. WRs with a concussion history can still produce at their former levels when medically cleared to play.
Antonio Brown has a history of documented concussions, and even the casual NFL viewer could identify some possible undocumented occurrences. Despite the concussion history, Antonio Brown was one of the most productive fantasy receivers of all time. Before abruptly retiring mid-game, Antonio Brown was WR8 in fantasy points per game to that point in the season. WRs with a concussion history can still produce at their former levels when they are medically cleared to play.
Wes Welker put up 16 PPR PPG in his age-32 season while becoming the poster boy for concussions before retiring. WRs with a concussion history can still produce when they are medically cleared to play. Ceedee Lamb sustained his third recorded career concussion in Week 14 of 2025, and his 2026 outlook is still primarily being determined by his circumstances rather than his health. Lamb is being drafted in start-ups closer to the back end of the first round rather than the middle, which can be attributed to his age and the appearance of George more than his health.
Alec Pierce has sustained three recorded concussions, and his hype train is full steam following the news of his new contract. Pierce is almost two months older than Olave and was drafted the same year. The dynasty values for Pierce and Lamb appear to be weighted more heavily by circumstance than concussion history.
Build the Trade Offers
“It’s like Deja Vu all over again.” -Yogi Berra
Brandin Cooks returned to form following his fifth concussion, and so has Chris Olave. Olave was medically cleared to play and finished as a WR1. There is a risk associated with WRs with concussion history, but the market is already accounting for that risk. Add in the scheme consistency, the addition of Jordyn Tyson (to draw coverage), and the addition of Travis Etienne Jr. (to draw defensive attention), and the path for Olave to repeat his 2025 success becomes clear. All signs point to Olave being who he was drafted to be, and the market value has not caught up. Feel confident buying in now before his value peaks. Happy trading, folks!