When a player has been great for an extended period of time, we can sometimes start to take their production for granted and undervalue them. This is what seems to be happening with Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper this season, who finds himself being drafted at WR25 and 62th overall in drafts. Here’s a look at why Cooper is an absolute steal and one of my favorite players to draft at his current ADP.
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2023 Season in Review
Cooper had one the best seasons of his nine-year career in 2023. He put up a career-high 1,250 receiving yards on 72 receptions in 15 games and finished as the overall WR18 in fantasy football. Cooper has been nothing but consistent since he entered the NFL in 2015. He has racked up 1,000 receiving yards and been a top-24 fantasy receiver in all but two seasons of his career and ranks sixth in targets, yards, and receiving touchdowns among all players since his NFL debut.
Cooper proved that he had plenty of gas still left in the tank last season. He ranked top-15 in yards per route run despite catching passes from a motley of uninspiring quarterbacks — Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, and Jeff Driskel all made starts for the Browns last year. The Browns should hopefully be more stable at quarterback this season — if Watson, the current starter, goes down, the Browns have veteran Jameis Winston as the backup. All in all, I’m optimistic that Cooper will be even more productive in fantasy with more consistent quarterback play.
The Undisputed Top Receiver in Cleveland
Cooper has very little in the way of competition in Cleveland. The Browns receiving depth chart behind him consists of once-promising players who never quite panned out like Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore, and unproven youngsters in Cedric Tillman and David Bell. This means that even though the Browns are a predominantly run-first team (they rank bottom 10 in neutral down passing rate since 2020), Cooper should still see more than enough volume to thrive. I expected him to be well on his way to another 125+ target season in Cleveland, a mark he has hit in each of his two years there.
While quarterback Deshaun Watson’s time with the Browns has been a huge disappointment, Cooper has still managed to make the most of the suboptimal situation. In fact, in the five games that Watson played in last season, Cooper was the WR7 and averaged 14.8 fantasy points per game. Even at Watson’s absolute worst in 2022, Cooper put up 10 fantasy points per game. We have seen what Watson is capable of when fully healthy — he led the league in passing yards back in 2020, and he would do wonders for Cooper’s fantasy value if he can reach those heights again. But, even if he continues to fail to live up to his fully guaranteed 230 million dollar contract, it is reassuring to know that Cooper can produce even with a struggling Watson.
Assessing Cooper’s Floor and Ceiling
To be honest, I have no idea why Cooper is being drafted so low. Usually, the wide receivers that go in the fifth to sixth round are either the No. 2 or No. 3 receivers on good offenses or the prospective No. 1 receiver in a crowded or unclear situation. As the clear-cut top option on a decent offense, Cooper is neither of those things. His guaranteed volume gives him a floor higher than most other receivers, and WR25 feels a lot closer to the worst case than the best case for him.
Cooper obviously does not have top-5 upside at the position because it is very unlikely that the Browns are that elite of a unit this year. However, he certainly does have a ceiling. Cooper caught just five touchdowns last season, after posting nine in 2022 (when he finished as the overall WR10). If Deshaun Watson plays to his potential, Cooper could easily see a few more scores to boost his fantasy ceiling a little bit.
At his current ADP, Cooper is an auto-draft for me. I think that the “WR2 on a fun offense” category of player is more often than not a trap in fantasy football, so I would much rather take Cooper than guys like DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Stefon Diggs, and Deebo Samuel. Cooper will be an uber-consistent receiver for your team, and allow you to opt for more dynamic options at other positions — I think a potentially promising roster build this year would be to emphasize getting two top-tier running backs and an elite quarterback in the first few rounds before grabbing Cooper in the fifth round to shore up your team as the first or second receiver.
The Bottom Line
- Cooper is fresh off a great 2023 season where he set a career-high in receiving yards while putting up WR2 numbers in fantasy.
- Cooper has almost no target competition in Cleveland and should comfortably be the No. 1 receiver in the Browns offense once again.
- Cooper’s role and situation gives him quite a high floor in fantasy football this year. He should be able to return value on his ADP of WR25 off volume alone, and has the potential to finish as a top-15 receiver if Deshaun Watson can elevate the Browns offense as a whole.
- I am aggressively targeting Cooper in the fifth round of my fantasy drafts, as he appears to be either the perfect second receiver for your team or a WR1 in a running back heavy build.
