Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper may be past his physical prime, but he recorded a career-high 1,250 receiving yards in 2023 despite missing two games.
Now in his third season with the franchise and potentially the best quarterback play during his tenure, could Cooper be in a position to offer fantasy football managers his best campaign to date?
Should You Select Amari Cooper at His Current ADP?
ADP: 53rd Overall (WR25)
Cooper is currently being drafted as a solid Flex option (outside of the top-24 WR), bridging the fourth and fifth rounds, which might prove to be a reasonable bargain. He’s being drafted after receivers like Malik Nabers (iffy offensive environment) and DJ Moore (loads of target competition with a rookie QB), whom I have greater concerns surrounding.
Targeting Cooper depends as much on the build of your roster as anything. While I think he has access to a fine ceiling, you’re drafting him for his floor and locking in that production.
Cooper is the type of receiver I want to add to my roster if I take on some risk early (be it by way of multiple running backs or maybe a receiver with moving pieces on his offense like Drake London or Deebo Samuel), though I do believe he is a stronger fit in most situations than those at the position being drafted in his vicinity.
Cooper’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
In a season when the Browns didn’t have a single quarterback complete 125 passes, Cleveland’s WR1 was able to shine. Yes, a large chunk of Cooper’s production came on a Christmas Eve dismantling of the Houston Texans, 11 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns, but he also reached triple figures on four other occasions and saw a consistent target share (10 games with 8+ targets).
Of course, Cooper’s historic game came with Joe Flacco under center, which wasn’t the plan entering 2023 and certainly won’t be this season, given the financial commitment the Browns have with Deshaun Watson.
After a bumpy first game with the 28-year-old quarterback, Cooper displayed a strong connection with Watson, reaching at least 90 yards and accounting for 39.9% of Cleveland’s receiving yards across those four games.
It became apparent down the stretch last season that Cooper has plenty left to offer, and this Browns team is looking to threaten the end zone even more in 2024. Nick Chubb will be back to stabilize the run game, plus Cleveland brought in Jerry Jeudy to supply Cooper with a Robin to his Batman. The next time a Browns WR catches 65 passes next to Cooper will be the first.
The upside is tempting, and the floor is solid. Without fear of an age cliff based on how he finished last season, Cooper’s résumé speaks for itself — he has multiple 1,000-yard seasons for three different franchises and a plethora of quarterbacks.
Cooper’s ability to earn targets has yet to fade. By setting a career-high in yards per catch last season (17.4), there are no signs that Father Time is a significant threat in 2024.
I’d argue that Cooper’s age is a good thing. Not only do his 140 regular-season games indicate that he’s seen everything defenses can throw at him from a scheming standpoint, but it also results in fantasy managers reflexively downgrading him.
That means it’s time to pounce.