Four-time Pro Bowl receiver, Amari Cooper, will kick off his ninth NFL season as a Cleveland Brown. Given his already established ability, paired with Cleveland’s talent shortage at the wideout position, we can surely expect Cooper to take on a leadership role for the Browns this upcoming season. However, due to a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, Cooper will make his first six starts as a Brown without Cleveland’s QB1, Deshaun Watson. How will the sudden change in Cleveland’s offense impact Cooper’s fantasy value, and when should fantasy owners look to select the receiver in their upcoming draft?
Cooper’s 2021 Campaign
Last season, as a Dallas Cowboy, Cooper caught 68 passes for nearly 900 receiving yards. The effort was a small step backward from his consecutive 1,000 receiving yard seasons in 2019 and 2020. However, Cooper tied his career-best in receiving touchdowns, finding the endzone eight times. Averaging a respectable 13.5 fantasy points per game, Cooper finished 27th in end-of-season rankings for the wide receiver position. While Cooper’s production may not appear overly impressive, It’s important to remember that he competed for targets with a talented Cowboy’s receiving corps, led by wideout, CeeDee Lamb, and tight end, Dalton Schultz. Despite his impactful four-year tenure with the Cowboys, Dallas decided to ship Cooper to Cleveland.
2022 Expectations
Unlike the previous season, Amari Cooper will certainly be the go-to target for Cleveland’s QBs in 2022. Mid-season last year, the Browns parted ways with wideout, Odell Beckham Jr. Furthermore, Cleveland released their veteran receiver, Jarvis Landry, after the 2021 season had ended. Therefore, Cooper will now share the field with rising 3rd-year pass catcher, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and slightly better-than-average tight end, David Njoku.
Cooper indeed has the ability to be a top-producing fantasy option. However, given Deshaun Watson’s recent suspension, much of Cooper’s fate will rest in the hands of Watson’s replacement. With Cleveland’s QB1 out of the picture for the first six games of 2022, we can expect to see the Brown’s backup, Jacoby Brissett, under center for Cleveland this upcoming season. In his six-year NFL career, Brissett has started in 37 games, recording nearly 8,000 passing yards and 36 TDs. Brissett is certainly not the worst backup, although he is incomparable to the three-time Pro Bowler, Watson. As a result, Cooper’s fantasy value should take a dip.
In Conclusion:
If you can look past Cooper’s predicted lack of production for the beginning of next season, he should be a great asset upon Watson’s return. Look for Cooper to stand out amongst his fellow receivers and to go 25th-30th in the WR position for your fantasy football draft.