There are some issues that might keep Cooper from being as good as he was in 2022. With Deshaun Watson for six games last season, Cooper averaged 6.5 targets and 11.6 PPR Fantasy points per game, both of which pale in comparison to the 8.5 targets and 16.0 PPR points per game he collected with Jacoby Brissett. Assuming Cooper will just recoup those lost 2.0 targets per game with Watson isn't promised as the Browns added three new targets to their passing game, including intriguing after-catch speedster Elijah Moore and rookie big man Cedric Tillman. On the plus side, Cooper isn't showing any signs of slowing down as his efficiency still ranked high in 2022. Figure him as a Fantasy starter who will deliver some boom weeks but will mostly be a steady, modest contributor. He should get taken around 50th overall.
Cooper (concussion/ribs) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt relayed earlier Thursday that Cooper still has to check more boxes in the NFL's concussion protocol as Sunday's game against the Jaguars approaches. If the veteran pass catcher is unavailable this weekend, Van Pelt indicated that WRs Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman and David Bell and TE David Njoku would be counted on more in Week 14, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Not practicing
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Cooper (concussion) won't practice Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Cooper is unsurprisingly a spectator for the Browns' first Week 14 practice session after he was confirmed to have suffered a concussion during this past Sunday's loss to the Rams. Players typically miss at least a week after suffering concussions, though Saints wideout Chris Olave managed to avoid that fate just this past week, as have a few other players this season. After Cooper left in the second quarter of the loss to Los Angeles, Eljiah Moore (four catches for 83 yards on 12 targets) stepped up as the top option in the passing game for Cleveland.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Coach confirms concussion
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Coach Kevin Stefanski said after Sunday's 36-19 loss to the Rams that Cooper suffered a concussion during the game, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.
Cooper was evaluated for a concussion after exiting with a head injury in the second quarter, and Stefanski revealed that those tests confirmed a concussion for the wide receiver. Prior to exiting, Cooper caught three of five targets for 34 yards. He'll have to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol in order to suit up in Week 14 against the Jaguars.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Ruled out of Sunday's game
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Cooper won't return to Sunday's game at the Rams due to a head injury, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.
Cooper had a concussion check in the second quarter, and he seemingly was diagnosed with one and will be unavailable to the Browns offense after halftime. He'll thus end Week 13 with three catches (on five targets) for 34 yards. With Marquise Goodwin (concussion) inactive, the Browns' available wide receivers now are Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, David Bell and James Proche.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Ready for Week 13
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Cooper (rest/ribs) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at the Rams, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Cooper took a hit to his midsection in the fourth quarter of this past Sunday's loss at Denver, and a return was ruled out for him not long after due to a rib injury. On Monday, X-rays came back negative on his ribs, and he proceeded to sit out Wednesday before managing back-to-back limited sessions to end Week 13 prep. According to Petrak, Cooper was seen donning some padding on his right ribs Thursday, so he appears as if he'll have some protection on the affected region when he takes the field Sunday.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Listed as limited Thursday
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Cooper (rest/ribs) was listed as a limited practice participant Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Cooper didn't practice Wednesday due to a listed combination of rest and the rib injury, but his return to a limited session Thursday has him trending in a positive direction as Sunday's game against the Rams approaches. Per Cabot, Cooper plans to play this weekend, though unless the wideout is deemed a full practice participant Friday, he could carry an injury designation into the game.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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It appears Cooper will play through a rib injury he suffered last week, and it also appears he'll catch passes from new Browns quarterback Joe Flacco. This is actually a great thing for Cooper; over his past two weeks his ADOT sat at 7.57 yards, which was roughly half of what it was in his first nine games at 15.42 yards. Clearly, the Browns wanted Cooper to run shorter routes and make things easier on rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. I'd expect that to be out the window now -- Flacco wasn't shy about chucking the rock deep with the Jets, attempting passes of 15-plus Air Yards on 20 percent of his throws, and he had no problem focusing on one primary receiver (Garrett Wilson had 8, 14 and 11 targets in Flacco's starts). The hope is that both Flacco and Cooper are experienced and capable enough to develop rhythm to salvage the Browns passing game. It's the only thing to buy into here as the Rams have allowed the 12th fewest Fantasy points to wide receivers on the season and happen to have done well against deep throws against wide receivers (40% completion rate allowed, two touchdowns, both top six on the season). Cooper's volume should hopefully push him to a decent Fantasy stat line. I'd give him a whirl over Terry McLaurin, Marquise Brown and Diontae Johnson.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: No activity Wednesday
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Cooper (rest/ribs) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Cooper was on the receiving end of a big hit during the fourth quarter of this past Sunday's loss at Denver, and a rib injury eventually kept him sidelined until the end of the contest. Afterward, head coach Kevin Stefanski told Petrak that X-rays came back negative on Cooper's ribs. The Browns' first Week 13 practice report is attributing Cooper's absence due to rest in addition to the rib issue, so the wide receiver may have sat out Wednesday as a precautionary measure. Any activity he can log Thursday and/or Friday would lay the groundwork for him to miss no game action as a result of the injury, but for the time being, Cooper's status will need to be monitored to get a sense of his chances to play Sunday at the Rams.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: X-rays on ribs negative
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Coach Kevin Stefanski said after Sunday's 29-12 loss to the Broncos that X-rays on Cooper's rib injury came back negative, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.
Cooper exited due to a rib injury in the second half after catching two of six targets for 16 yards, but he avoided any broken ribs. These X-ray results suggest Cooper could have a chance to play in Week 13 against the Rams. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (concussion) also left the loss to Denver in the second half, so if Cooper is able to return next week he could be catching passes from PJ Walker.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Won't return due to rib injury
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Cooper (ribs) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game in Denver, Ashley Bastock of Cleveland.com reports.
Cooper exited in the second half after taking a hit to the ribs from Broncos safety P.J. Locke. The veteran wide receiver caught just two of six targets for 16 yards prior to the injury. Cleveland lost both Cooper and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (concussion) in Sunday's game, and it remains to be seen if either will be available in Week 13 against the Rams.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Leaves Sunday's game
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Cooper exited Sunday's game at Denver due to an undisclosed injury, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.
Cooper endured a big hit to his midsection midway through the fourth quarter, which left him writhing in pain on the field. He eventually went to the sideline tent and then walked to the locker room, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. The nature of Cooper's issue isn't known, but if he's unable to return, he'll finish Week 12 with two catches (on six targets) for 16 yards.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: WRs to Sit
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Cooper, as expected, struggled in Week 11 against Pittsburgh with Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center. Cooper had eight targets, but he only had four catches for 34 yards. Thompson-Robinson is starting again in Week 12 at Denver, and Cooper should be considered a borderline No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. In two games with Thompson-Robinson starting, Cooper has combined for five catches for 50 yards and no touchdowns on 14 targets. It doesn't help that the Broncos are No. 10 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Held in check
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Cooper caught four of eight targets for 34 yards in Sunday's 13-10 win over the Steelers.
Cooper was held to his third-fewest yards, which may be a theme the rest of the year as the Browns roll with rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in place of the injured Deshaun Watson (shoulder). The offensive game plan called for short passes, a radical change for Cooper who has a career-high aDOT of 15.5 yards in 2023 while mostly hauling in passes from the big arm of Watson. As Thompson-Robinson acclimates as the starting quarterback -- it's his job to lose with Watson done for the season -- the Browns may take more chances downfield, and their leading receiver could become more fantasy friendly.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Cooper's saddled with a downgrade at quarterback against a Steelers defense that will be tough to beat, but much tougher on the passer and not the receiver. There is some massive downside that Fantasy managers normally ignore with Cooper because he gets so many targets (8.0 per game). If a third of his throws are off-target, and if the matchup is especially stingy on downfield passes, then Cooper could be left with four or five catches for 50 or 60 yards. That's flex worthy, but his ceiling isn't much higher than that and there is potential for a single-digit game even in full-PPR. If you're playing for upside, Rashee Rice, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Brandin Cooks are better options than Cooper in full PPR with Rice and Cooks especially better in non-PPR.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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The Browns got bad news Wednesday when Deshaun Watson (shoulder) was ruled out for the season, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson is now the starter for Week 11 against Pittsburgh. We saw Cooper in one game with Thompson-Robinson in Week 4 against Baltimore, and it was ugly with one catch for 16 yards on six targets. He should perform better than that, and Cooper had seven catches for 90 yards on 10 targets at Pittsburgh in Week 2. But the quarterback downgrade drops Cooper into the No. 3 Fantasy receiver range, and it's hard to call him a must-start option after his first game with Thompson-Robinson this year.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Strong showing in tough matchup
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Cooper recorded six receptions on nine targets for 98 yards in Sunday's 33-31 win over the Ravens.
Deshaun Watson (ankle) concentrated targets between Cooper, David Njoku and Elijah Moore, though Cooper was by far the most efficient with the work. He was most effective working deep down the field, tallying receptions of 28 and 25 yards as well as a pair of 17-yard gains. Cooper now has at least 90 yards in six of nine games this season.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: WRs to Sit
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Cooper did well in Deshaun Watson's return to action in Week 9 against Arizona with five catches for 139 yards and a touchdown on five targets, and Cooper has actually scored at least 14.8 PPR points in three of his past four games. He struggled against Baltimore in Week 4 with one catch for 16 yards on six targets, but Dorian Thompson-Robinson started that game with Watson out with a shoulder injury. I'm more optimistic for Cooper in the rematch, but he's only a No. 3 receiver in the majority of leagues. The Ravens are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and only three receivers have scored a touchdown against Baltimore this year.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Stellar showing in Watson's return
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Cooper brought in all five targets for 139 yards and a touchdown in the Browns' 27-0 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
With Deshaun Watson back under center and apparently healthy, Cooper was a prime beneficiary, recording a team-high receiving yardage tally that included his second touchdown of the campaign on an 11-yard grab in the second quarter. Cooper's yardage total was a season-high figure, and the performance was his third of over 100 yards this season. The veteran wideout's fantasy prospects appear bright the rest of the way if Watson remains healthy, but the entire Browns offense has an unenviable Week 10 road assignment against the Ravens.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: Flex Starter in PPR (Lineup Decisions)
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Cooper's eight targets per game in his past two is tough to overlook, and if Walker throws shorter passes because of the coverage Seattle plays, that should make for some decent catch and yardage totals. I wouldn't expect a huge game by any measure but a 6-75-0 stat line is certainly in play. That puts him near the border of a WR2/WR3 in full PPR -- I'd chance it with him over Josh Palmer, Courtland Sutton and Josh Downs. But in half- and non-PPR I'd head for the hills and take a shot on Palmer, Sutton, Zay Flowers and Rashee Rice over Cooper.
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Browns' Amari Cooper: WRs to Sit
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Without Deshaun Watson (shoulder), Cooper has one good reception in his past three games against Baltimore, San Francisco and Indianapolis. He had a 58-yard reception in Week 6 against San Francisco, which helped him finish with four catches for 108 yards on eight targets. Without that reception, he has six catches for 88 yards in his past three outings. P.J. Walker is starting again for the Browns at Seattle, and Cooper is just a No. 3 Fantasy receiver at best in the majority of leagues.
