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Amari Cooper has been a consistent wide receiver for the last several years regardless of who he plays for. The Cleveland Browns wideout was good with both Jacoby Brissett and Deshaun Watson, so fantasy managers will have their eye on him for drafts and potential trades.
Also read: Is Amon-Ra St. Brown a good fantasy pick?
Amari Cooper's fantasy outlook in 2023
Amari Cooper will enter 2023 as the easy top passing option in Cleveland. The former Dallas Cowboys star has been the top option in pretty much every single offense he's been in, and that isn't about to change.
He has to vie with David Njoku and Elijah Mitchell for targets, but neither of those players is likely to take up Cooper's volume consistently on a week-to-week basis. He's a true WR1 and that is a valuable thing in today's fantasy football. The top target on an offense always gets a value boost, even if it's a more run-heavy scheme like the Browns have.
He's not Justin Jefferson or Tyreek Hill, so he's not likely to be the best wide receiver this season, but that's not why fantasy managers are interested in him. He's a reliable player who will score points, even if it's not the most points every week.
Also read: Should I draft George Pickens in fantasy football?
Is Amari Cooper a good pick in fantasy football?
The former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver is absolutely a good pick in fantasy football. Cooper is and will be someone who gets a good target share and is reliable to catch a lot of those targets. There's no one else on the field that Watson will look to and trust more on offense.
Yes, the Browns' offense struggled last year and Watson did not look good. Regardless, he was top 18 in points per game (PPR) with 14.5 and he recorded the 10th-most points out of all wide receivers.
That kind of consistency and production is enviable. Other receivers might blow up, but they might also get a low amount of points. With more chemistry with Watson and the certainty that QB play in Cleveland will improve, Cooper could end up being even better this year.
Furthermore, the addition of Elijah Mitchell can only serve to help him. Oftentimes, Amari Cooper was the lone offensive threat in the passing game, so the defensive coverage targeted him. With Mitchell, there's a somewhat viable second option, so Cooper will see less coverage.
As long as David Njoku stays healthy, he will also draw some coverage away from Cooper. The two secondary targets should only serve to boost Cooper's status.
Where should you draft Amari Cooper in fantasy football?
Amari Cooper is currently ESPN's 18th-ranked wide receiver target in fantasy football. That means he's being drafted in the same range as Calvin Ridley, Chris Godwin, Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, and Chris Olave.
Those receivers have one slight downside that Cooper doesn't have- a strong alternative option in the passing game. Godwin has Mike Evans. Samuel has Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. Keenan Allen has Mike Williams, and so on.
In this range, Cooper looks like one of the safest picks. He'll almost always be the top scorer in his offense, whereas that might not always be true of those others. His ADP is currently in the 40 range.
That's a good range for him, and if he's still there in the 50s, that would be an absolute steal. He's a fourth-round player with first-round consistency. That's a good player to have on your fantasy team.
