METAIRIE, La. -- It’s hard to criticize anything the New Orleans Saints are doing on offense after they just posted a season-high 49 points and rolled up 555 yards on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

But they probably should make it a priority to get receiver Brandin Cooks more involved on a consistent basis -- if for no other reason than to keep one of their most talented players happy.

Cooks and sources have hinted at his growing frustration with his usage throughout this season -- including the zero targets on 45 snaps on Sunday.

Now, it’s too early to suggest that Cooks might demand a trade in the offseason. (He is under contract through 2017, with the Saints holding an option for 2018.)

And he should be happy in any role if the Saints (5-6) can figure out how to keep beating teams by 28 points like they did on Sunday.

But this isn’t a new issue, so the Saints might need to get Cooks more consistently involved to keep that frustration from festering -- not to mention the dynamic boost he brings to the offense.

This is too good of a marriage to risk some sort of use-me-or-lose-me standoff.

Cooks has a close relationship with Saints quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints have long raved about his work ethic, maturity and leadership skills. But that doesn’t make Cooks immune to the same type of give-me-the-ball mentality that many top receivers in the NFL have been known for.

Cooks, after all, was a first-round draft pick in 2014 who caught a whopping 128 passes for 1,730 yards in his final year at Oregon State.

Cooks (5-foot-10, 189 pounds) has two of the four longest receptions in the NFL this season -- a 98-yard TD in Week 1 and an 87-yard TD in Week 6. And his overall numbers are strong (51 catches, 736 yards, six TDs).

But Cooks actually ranks third on the Saints in both receptions per game (4.6) and targets per game (6.8) behind rookie Michael Thomas (5.9 receptions, 7.5 targets per game) and third-year pro Willie Snead (5.1 receptions, 6.9 targets).

Cooks is tied for 38^th in the NFL with a total of 75 targets this season and tied for 36^th with 51 catches.

Other receivers with similar size, speed and skill sets are used much more prominently than Cooks -- starting with Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown, who is 5-10, 181 pounds.

Another comparison that comes to mind is longtime former Saints rival Steve Smith (5-9, 195), who just caught his 1,000^th career pass earlier this month.

It’s hard to say if the Saints could or should be using Cooks more effectively.

The Saints have the No. 1 passing offense in the NFL for the second year in a row. So they clearly don’t need any major tweaks in that department.

And Brees and coach Sean Payton have long shown a knack for being able to exploit defenses and spread the ball around -- partly because they have never zeroed in on any one target. No wide receiver has ever made the Pro Bowl during their 11-year tenure in New Orleans, though tight end Jimmy Graham did.

It’s also notable that former Saints pass-catchers like Graham, Robert Meachem and Lance Moore never approached the same levels of success in other offenses.

However, the Saints have also never had a receiver quite like Cooks, who ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.33 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.

Yes, Cooks is the ultimate decoy since defenses have to account for his home-run threat on every play even more than they do with most speedy clear-out receivers. It is extremely effective for the Saints' offense when a No. 1 cornerback and a safety both spy Cooks, opening things up for shorter routes.

That was often the case this past Sunday against the Rams. And as I broke down here, the Saints also seemed to be relying on short, quick passes to neutralize the impact of pass-rushers Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn.

However, Cooks has proven to be more than just a one-dimensional deep threat -- something he has talked about often. And he proved that recently by making three tough catches in traffic in the second half against the Denver Broncos.

Chances are Cooks will have a big game Sunday against the Detroit Lions inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome -- where Cooks was averaging 94 yards and one touchdown per game this season before his goose egg this past Sunday.

But Cooks’ involvement -- and contentment -- remains a subject worth monitoring for the rest of the season and beyond.