Amari Cooper Fantasy Football Outlook 2022 (Can He Thrive as the Browns' No. 1 WR?)

The Cleveland Browns' offense is going to look much different in the 2022 NFL season. Four-time Pro-Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper's presence is a big factor behind that as he looks to bounce back from a WR27 finish in PPR fantasy football formats last year.

Unlike with the Dallas Cowboys, Cooper doesn't have the privilege of having Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb to take the pressure off him. Now, prospective fantasy managers are wondering if the 28-year-old has what it takes to thrive as the Browns' top wideout.

Amari Cooper Fantasy Football Outlook

After recording over 1,000 receiving yards in three straight seasons, Cooper's streak came to an end in 2021. The former Alabama WR finished the year with 865 receiving yards while tying his career-high with eight touchdowns on 68 receptions.

The thing about Cooper is that he's the perfect example of a boom-or-bust player. When he's on, he's a valuable contributor, proven by his recording between 11.1 and 25.9 PPR points in six of his 15 games played last year. On the other hand, he also recorded 5.5 or fewer points on seven occasions.

Having said that, Cooper should see the lion's share of targets in Cleveland's offense. The Browns don't have anyone to really challenge him as the top wideout and he should still see solid volume even with Jacoby Brissett starting under center for the first six games.

Once Deshaun Watson makes his season debut, fantasy managers should have a better idea of what Cooper's ceiling is. If he can maintain his highs for longer periods of time, he could be a fantasy hero for many in the coming months.

Amari Cooper Projections

Projections from the NFL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook are far from high on Cooper. For instance, he's available at +4000 (T-No. 22) to lead the league in receiving yards. That's in addition to his having +5000 odds (T-No. 24) to cap things off as the 2022 NFL receiving TD leader.

As far as individual player props, FanDuel isn't currently listing any for Cooper. That's likely due to the past uncertainty around Watson's suspension, which we now know sits at six games. Keep your eye out in the coming days to see if any Cooper-centric markets are added.

Is Amari Cooper a Good Fantasy Football Pick?

Cooper is a solid fantasy pick if you can add enough WR depth to withstand the Browns' first six games. While Brissett should still provide him with a decent number of targets, Cleveland plays some bad teams to open the season, which means that some game scripts could end up favoring the team's running backs rather than wideouts.

For now, Cooper comes in as the WR22 on Fantasy Pros' PPR rankings. He also carries an average draft position of 60.5, meaning it's entirely possible that he'll be off the board once Round 5 even begins in 12-team formats. He also ranks as WR23 in The Duel's preseason fantasy football rankings for PPR leagues.

Most teams' top wideouts have solid ceilings and Cooper is no different. If Watson comes back without any rust in addition to Cooper working on his consistency, it could be a big year for the Miami, FL native. Don't forget to check out the best Cleveland Browns fantasy football team names for the season, either.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.