Week 5 vs. New York Giants
Amari Cooper leads the NFL in targets (51) through four weeks and is second in the league in receptions (37). He is maintaining sky-high usage in a Dallas offense that has to throw the ball all over the place just to keep pace with the massive amount of points their defense gives up on a weekly basis. And all of that is before mentioning that Cooper just got into the endzone for the first time this past week, meaning he should see some positive regression in the touchdown department in future weeks. Cooper's setup is excellent for fantasy production, and he's set up for another nice performance in Week 5 against the mediocre Giants secondary. Lock Cooper into lineups as a strong WR1 for Week 5.
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 3 at Seattle Seahawks
What a start to the season for Amari Cooper. He has racked up 23 targets in two games and turned that volume into 16 catches for 181 yards without a score. The touchdowns should be coming for Cooper, who clearly remains Dak Prescott's top target in the passing game. Cooper's high-volume usage makes him immune from most matchup concerns, and those concerns aren't even present this week as he gets to take on a flailing Seattle secondary that has been burnt by the likes of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Julian Edelman so far this season. Cooper should have little trouble getting separation from the Seattle corners and has blowup potential in a projected shootout. Start Cooper as a strong WR1 against the Seahawks this weekend.
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.
Week 1 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Amari Cooper will take on the Rams and CB Jalen Ramsey in Week 1. Cooper has faced off with Ramsey twice in his career and produced a total of 38 receiving yards in those two games. While this is not encouraging for Cooper's Week 1 prospects, he should be able to avoid Ramsey at least some of the game by lining up in the slot or alternating sides with Michael Gallup. Cooper is more of a WR2 this week due to the difficult matchup, but he can still be started in what should be a high-scoring game.
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.
Week 17 vs Washington
Amari Cooper has disappeared the past two games with only a combined five receptions for 43 yards. He did eclipse the 1,000 receiving yard mark for the season and had a career-high eight TD receptions.
Cooper faces the Redskins who are 7th in aFPA to wide receivers. Back in Week 2, Cooper only had four catches for 44 yards against Washington. But we expect the Cowboys to hold nothing back with a potential playoff spot on the line.
Start Cooper as a solid WR1 for Week 17. We expect the Cowboys to go heavy with their best offensive weapons and that includes Cooper.
Week 16 at Philadelphia
The Cowboys really didn't need Amari Cooper last week in the blowout win over the Rams. He was only targeted two times and ended up with one catch. That is the third time this season he has had only one catch or less in a game.
Cooper will face the Eagles who are 27th in aFPA to wide receivers. He had five receptions for 106 yards in the first meeting earlier this season. Cooper will be needed and should be the top target in the passing game.
Start Cooper as a WR1 for Week 16. Both teams need to win the game and we expect the Cowboys not to hold Cooper back.
Week 15 vs Los Angeles Rams
Amari Cooper has had back-to-back solid games after putting up zero numbers back in Week 12. He scored his first touchdown last week since back in Week 10. Cooper has still been a major part of the offense and the most targeted player in the passing game.
The Rams are next up and are ranked 11th in aFPA to wide receivers. They will probably try to match Cooper up with Jalen Ramsey, but the Cowboys will find ways to get Cooper involved. Start him in all league formats as a low-end WR1 for Week 15.
Week 14 at Chicago
Amari Cooper had eight catches for 85 yards last Sunday. It wasn't a huge day, but a solid outing for the veteran receiver. And it was a massive improvement of the zero catch day the week before.
Cooper will face the Cowboys who are second in aFPA to wide receivers. The tough matchup pushes Cooper down the receiver rankings as we have seen him struggle against good defenses.
Start Cooper as a low-end WR2 for Week 14. Don't expect big numbers from the Cowboys No. 1 receiver, but he could replicate something close to last week.
