Getty Amari Cooper of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys‘ Amari Cooper had been one of the brightest fantasy stars in all of football this season. That is, up until about two weeks ago.
From Week 1 through Week 10, only three wide receivers had scored more fantasy points than Amari Cooper on the year. However, from Week 11 on Cooper has averaged a putrid 3.4 fantasy points and tumbled all the way down to the WR87 over that span.
Can Cooper recapture his early-season brilliance on Thanksgiving day? Or will yet another tough matchup leave Cooper’s fantasy football owners disappointed once again? Let’s discuss.
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Amari Cooper’s Fantasy Outlook vs. Buffalo Bills
Amari Cooper had been making a strong claim at being a legitimate top-five wideout in football over the first 10 weeks of the 2019 season. During that time period, Cooper averaged nearly six receptions for 94.2 receiving yards and totaled seven receiving touchdowns.
Yet, most important was Cooper’s 20.0 fantasy points per game he was averaging over that span. However, Cooper’s production has not only decreased over the last two weeks, it’s become overly concerning.
Over Cooper’s past two games, he’s averaged a miserable 1.5 receptions and 19 receiving yards, while failing to find the endzone in both contests.
The Dallas wideout was presented with a daunting matchup a week ago against arguably the league’s top cover corner in New England’s Stephon Gilmore. While many fantasy owners tempered their expectations in terms of Cooper’s fantasy production for that day, no one expected him to fail to haul in a single reception.
Cooper has now caught just three receptions over his last ten targets. He’s also scored below double-digit fantasy points in half of his last eight games.
To make matters worse, Cooper will be lining up across from yet another top-end cornerback today when the Cowboys face off with the Bills on Thanksgiving.
Take a look at some of cornerback Tre’Davious White’s impressive numbers from this season.
#Bills Star CB Tre’Davious White has been playing at an All-Pro level this season.
His Stats In 2019 through Week 12:
Targets: 66
Comp%: 56.1%
Yards: 415
TDs: 0
INTs: 4
Passer Rating: 49.7
RT if you think Tre’Davious White shouldn’t just be In the Pro-Bowl, but an All-Pro.
In White’s last game, he held the Denver Broncos‘ number one receiving target Courtland Sutton to just one reception for 27 yards. Even that reception happened to occur when the Bills were in a zone defense.
Buffalo’s defense as a whole has been equally challenging for wideouts this season. The Bills allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs in 2019. They’ve allowed just three receiving touchdowns to the position since Week 2, while only two players have exceeded 64 receiving yards against them since Week 7.
Should You Start or Sit Amari Cooper in Week 13?
Cooper only saw two targets a week ago. Chances are, Dallas will attempt to force-feed him early on to get the receiver involved and engaged. For that purpose, matched with the fact that he is still one of the more talented receiving targets in all football, puts him on the starting radar in Week 13.
However, while he will likely produce better than he has in the past two games, don’t expect to see the same stellar statistical output he had in the first 10 weeks of the season. The matchup is too tough to look at Cooper than any more than a WR3 on Thanksgiving.
- *Check out our Week 13 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Ems to further optimize your lineups
- Start-Sit [ QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DEF | Ks]
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