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Amari Cooper, Baker Mayfield, Browns' Fantasy Outlook After Trade with Cowboys
March 13, 2022
The Dallas Cowboys have traded wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News:
Michael Gehlken @GehlkenNFLFor compensation, the Cowboys swapped sixth-round picks with the Browns in the 2022 draft, upgrading their own selection, while adding Cleveland’s fifth-round choice. Better than nothing, which is what Dallas would have gained if it outright released Cooper. <a href="https://t.co/ujyxbiKnLF">https://t.co/ujyxbiKnLF</a>
Reactions immediately dropped regarding Cooper's 2022 fantasy value.
Chris Towers of CBS Sports and Brad Evans of Bally Sports were more pessimistic.
ESPN's Matthew Berry was more optimistic:
Matthew Berry @MatthewBerryTMRDowngrade in QB for Cooper obviously but that should be masked at least somewhat by an increase in targets. (Cooper’s 19% target share last season was a career-low-his 57.6 yards/game last season was his lowest total since 2017). Initial reaction is Cooper just outside top 20 WR <a href="https://t.co/m7JLxLLPbb">https://t.co/m7JLxLLPbb</a>
Cooper, 27, caught 68 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
Ultimately, it's difficult to be overwhelmingly optimistic about a change of scenery for Cooper. Michael Fabiano of Sports Illustrated explained why.
"Cooper, who finished as the WR27 last season, will now be the No. 1 wide receiver in Cleveland. That’s the good news. The bad news? He’ll be in a run-based offense that statistically neutered former star Odell Beckham Jr. and is not at all wideout friendly. In fact, the most fantasy points a receiver has averaged in Kevin Stefanski’s offense is Stefon Diggs. The current Bills playmaker averaged 14.2 points from 2018-2019 while he and Stefanski were with the Vikings."
Cooper may see more targets in Cleveland after seeing just 6.9 per game in Dallas last year, which played a part of his string of three straight 1,000-yard seasons ending.
However, Cooper will now be catching passes from quarterback Baker Mayfield, who finished 23rd in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric (defense-adjusted value over average), 27th in quarterback rating and 27th in QBR last year.
It was a down year for Mayfield, who helped lead the Browns to an 11-5 record and the team's first playoff appearance since 2002 the year before.
Perhaps adding Cooper to the mix helps, but ultimately, Mayfield is still a backup quarterback option at best in fantasy leagues. Cooper should be considered a WR3 or flex play.
