Amari Cooper

Week 4 vs. Cleveland Browns
Amari Cooper posted a 9/86/0 line in Week 3 and it was his worst fantasy performance of the season. That should tell you all you need to know about the type of start Cooper is off to as the top option in an explosive Dallas passing attack. Now Cooper gets a Cleveland secondary that is plagued by injuries, specifically to top cornerback Denzel Ward. Matchups are not a big concern for Cooper anyways as he sees massive volume on a weekly basis. The Cowboys are home favorites and should have little trouble scoring points on the Browns, who rank 29th in our schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. Cooper should be started as a low-end WR1 this week.

Week 2 vs. Atlanta Falcons
What a Week 1 for Amari Cooper. He attracted a whopping 14 targets from Dak Prescott and caught 10 of them. Cooper was not particularly efficient in only managing 81 yards on those 10 catches, but fantasy owners are never going to complain about a receiver getting 14 targets. There were concerns heading into the season about Cooper's target share given the emergence of teammates Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb, but Cooper's Week 1 performance quieted those doubters and showed he will still possess a massive ceiling in any given week. Now Cooper gets the Falcons, a secondary that got torched by Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf last week. Cooper has WR1 upside in Week 2 and should be locked into lineups in all formats.

Fantasy Upside
Amari Cooper was plagued by injuries and inconsistent play when he entered the league as a Raider but has flourished in Dallas with Dak Prescott. In his first full season as a Cowboy, Cooper turned 119 targets into 79 receptions to go along with 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns. Cooper is still only 26 years old and continues to build rapport with Prescott, so it is possible he exceeds those numbers this year. Cooper’s efficiency metrics are solid. He finished last year ranked among the top 10 wide receivers in both yards per target (10.0) and yards per route run (2.6). This is despite being the top option in the Dallas passing game and receiving significant attention from opposing defenses. Selling out to stop Cooper will be difficult for opponents to do this season. Michael Gallup has emerged as a strong second option opposite Cooper, and now defenses will have to deal with Ceedee Lamb operating out of the slot. Cooper’s continued improvement and chemistry with Prescott mean that he will carry massive upside every week, and there is the possibility Cooper gets even more single coverage this season as the top option in a loaded wide receiver room.

Fantasy Downside
The only problem with Cooper benefitting from Gallup’s emergence and Lamb’s arrival is that both players carry the potential to infringe on Cooper’s target share. Cooper maintained a target share over 20% last season, and while it seems likely that should remain fairly steady, the arrival of talented new teammates is always a double-edged sword in fantasy. Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore retaining playcalling duties is a good sign for Cooper, but the crowded depth chart at the skill positions means we could see the Dallas offense register “Cooper weeks,” “Gallup weeks” and “Lamb weeks” instead of Cooper being the clear top option week in and week out.

2020 Bottom Line
In the end, Cooper should emerge from the pack as the top weapon in the Dallas passing game and that role carries substantial upside. Cooper carries enough risk to prevent him from being a no-doubt WR1, but his current draft cost is a low-end WR1 to high-end WR2 and that is a fair valuation at this point in the offseason.