Despite the Cleveland Browns‘ revolving door at the quarterback position over the last two seasons, veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper has managed to generate two consecutive campaigns with 70+ receptions and 1,100+ yards in both his seasons with the team.
What can fantasy football managers expect from Cooper entering the 2024 NFL season?
Amari Cooper’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
- Total Fantasy Points: 238.8
- Receptions: 77.2
- Receiving Yards: 1,160.7
- Receiving TDs: 7.7
These are PFN’s consensus projections, correct as of August 15. The most up-to-date projections can be found in our Who Should I Draft Tool.
Should You Draft Cooper This Year?
Since Cooper entered the NFL, he has been a remarkably consistent fantasy producer but has never truly entered the top echelon of the position.
Amari Cooper Fantasy Finishes
- 2023: WR20
- 2022: WR10
- 2021: WR27
- 2020: WR15
- 2019: WR10
- 2018: WR19
- 2017: WR34
- 2016: WR13
- 2015: WR20
Outside of Cooper’s one down season in 2017, his lowest statistical production has been 68 receptions, 865 yards, and five TDs. He has topped 1,000 yards receiving and 72 receptions on seven occasions. Yet, he has never caught 100 passes, registered 1,300 yards, or caught 10 TDs in a single season of his nine-year career.
This makes Cooper feel like the poster boy for the safe, yet kind of boring, fantasy receiver over the span of his productive career. He is a reliable veteran option who produces solid numbers every year of his career but has never truly produced an elite fantasy campaign.
Specifically during his two seasons in Cleveland, Cooper has produced a pair of high-quality seasons, especially when you take into consideration how unstable his quarterback play has been during his tenure with the Browns.
Amari Cooper’s Fantasy Production with the Cleveland Browns
- 2023: WR20 (128 targets, 72 receptions, 1,250 yards, and five TDs)
- 2022: WR10 (132 targets, 78 receptions, 1,160 yards, and nine TDs)
These numbers aren’t exactly earth-shattering, but when you add the context of Deshaun Watson’s suspension in 2022, his injury-riddled 2023 campaign, and acknowledge the bulk of Cooper’s production came from backup-caliber quarterback play, the veteran has been great as a leading receiver in Cleveland.
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Speaking of Watson, one encouraging sign of Cooper’s fantasy upside in 2024 is how productive he was when his starting quarterback was on the field in 2023.
Cooper’s production when Watson played more than 90% of the offensive snaps in 2023
- Averaged five receptions, 96 yards, and scored two TDs through five games
Cooper just turned 30 years old and is essentially a lock for another WR2 fantasy season with some potential upside to sneak inside the top 10 if Watson continues to heavily target him and manages to play at the level we previously saw from him in Houston.
Cooper’s ADP is No. 42 overall in the fourth round as the WR29 off the board. For some additional context, Cooper is currently being selected behind Tank Dell, George Pickens, and Zay Flowers, all of whom have never finished as a top 24 fantasy WR throughout their four combined years in the NFL.
Could the roles of David Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, or Elijah Moore slightly impact his target share? Possibly. Could Father Time begin to tap Cooper on the shoulder in 2024? Possibly. If Watson continues to struggle under center, does this make a top-10 fantasy finish feel well out of the range outcomes? Again, possibly.
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Yet, the things we know and have seen from Cooper during his time in the NFL — and specifically in Cleveland — make him a nice draft day value who is currently being drafted below the fantasy floor we have seen from him over the last two seasons.