When a participant has been nice for an prolonged time period, we are able to generally begin to take their manufacturing as a right and undervalue them. That is what appears to be occurring with Browns extensive receiver Amari Cooper this season, who finds himself being drafted at WR25 and 62th general in drafts. Right here’s a take a look at why Cooper is an absolute steal and considered one of my favourite gamers to draft at his present ADP.
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2023 Season in Evaluation
Cooper had one the very best seasons of his nine-year profession in 2023. He put up a career-high 1,250 receiving yards on 72 receptions in 15 video games and completed as the general WR18 in fantasy soccer. Cooper has been nothing however constant since he entered the NFL in 2015. He has racked up 1,000 receiving yards and been a top-24 fantasy receiver in all however two seasons of his profession and ranks sixth in targets, yards, and receiving touchdowns amongst all gamers since his NFL debut.
Cooper proved that he had loads of gasoline nonetheless left within the tank final season. He ranked top-15 in yards per route run regardless of catching passes from a motley of uninspiring quarterbacks — Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, and Jeff Driskel all made begins for the Browns final yr. The Browns ought to hopefully be extra secure at quarterback this season — if Watson, the present starter, goes down, the Browns have veteran Jameis Winston because the backup. All in all, I’m optimistic that Cooper shall be much more productive in fantasy with extra constant quarterback play.
The Undisputed Prime Receiver in Cleveland
Cooper has little or no in the way in which of competitors in Cleveland. The Browns receiving depth chart behind him consists of once-promising gamers who by no means fairly panned out like Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore, and unproven kids in Cedric Tillman and David Bell. Because of this regardless that the Browns are a predominantly run-first crew (they rank backside 10 in impartial down passing price since 2020), Cooper ought to nonetheless see greater than sufficient quantity to thrive. I anticipated him to be properly on his method to one other 125+ goal season in Cleveland, a mark he has hit in every of his two years there.
Whereas quarterback Deshaun Watson’s time with the Browns has been an enormous disappointment, Cooper has nonetheless managed to benefit from the suboptimal scenario. In actual fact, within the 5 video games that Watson performed in final season, Cooper was the WR7 and averaged 14.8 fantasy factors per recreation. Even at Watson’s absolute worst in 2022, Cooper put up 10 fantasy factors per recreation. We have now seen what Watson is able to when totally wholesome — he led the league in passing yards again in 2020, and he would do wonders for Cooper’s fantasy worth if he can attain these heights once more. However, even when he continues to fail to reside as much as his totally assured 230 million greenback contract, it’s reassuring to know that Cooper can produce even with a struggling Watson.
Assessing Cooper’s Ground and Ceiling
To be sincere, I do not know why Cooper is being drafted so low. Normally, the extensive receivers that go within the fifth to sixth spherical are both the No. 2 or No. 3 receivers on good offenses or the potential No. 1 receiver in a crowded or unclear scenario. Because the clear-cut high choice on an honest offense, Cooper is neither of these issues. His assured quantity offers him a ground larger than most different receivers, and WR25 feels rather a lot nearer to the worst case than the very best case for him.
Cooper clearly doesn’t have top-5 upside on the place as a result of it is extremely unlikely that the Browns are that elite of a unit this yr. Nevertheless, he actually does have a ceiling. Cooper caught simply 5 touchdowns final season, after posting 9 in 2022 (when he completed as the general WR10). If Deshaun Watson performs to his potential, Cooper may simply see a number of extra scores to spice up his fantasy ceiling just a little bit.
At his present ADP, Cooper is an auto-draft for me. I feel that the “WR2 on a enjoyable offense” class of participant is as a rule a lure in fantasy soccer, so I might a lot moderately take Cooper than guys like DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Stefon Diggs, and Deebo Samuel. Cooper shall be an uber-consistent receiver to your crew, and assist you to go for extra dynamic choices at different positions — I feel a probably promising roster construct this yr could be to emphasise getting two top-tier working backs and an elite quarterback within the first few rounds earlier than grabbing Cooper within the fifth spherical to shore up your crew as the primary or second receiver.
The Backside Line
Cooper is recent off a terrific 2023 season the place he set a career-high in receiving yards whereas placing up WR2 numbers in fantasy.
Cooper has nearly no goal competitors in Cleveland and may comfortably be the No. 1 receiver within the Browns offense as soon as once more.
Cooper’s function and scenario offers him fairly a excessive ground in fantasy soccer this yr. He ought to have the ability to return worth on his ADP of WR25 off quantity alone, and has the potential to complete as a top-15 receiver if Deshaun Watson can elevate the Browns offense as an entire.
I’m aggressively concentrating on Cooper within the fifth spherical of my fantasy drafts, as he seems to be both the right second receiver to your crew or a WR1 in a working again heavy construct.
