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Fantasy Football 2018: Amari Cooper Traded to Dallas

By Bill Pivetz

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 25: Amari Cooper #89 of the Oakland Raiders walks off the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 19-10. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 25: Amari Cooper #89 of the Oakland Raiders walks off the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 19-10. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Cowboys acquired their No. 1 wide receiver in Amari Cooper. How does this impact fantasy football going forward?

In a surprising move, the Oakland Raiders moved on from former first-round pick Amari Cooper as he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys. Talks picked up over the weekend as Dallas was in the market for another wide receiver. How does the move to the NFC East affect fantasy football?

The Raiders offense took a big hit over the last 24 hours. Not only will Derek Carr be without Cooper, news recently broke that Marshawn Lynch was placed on IR. Cooper wasn’t having the best season but it looked like he was going to improve from his poor 2017 campaign. He had 280 yards and one touchdown on 22 receptions.

Carr will now have Jordy Nelson, Jared Cook, Seth Roberts and Martavis Bryant as his top receiving options. Nelson and Cook will still get their targets, but I would expect a few more double teams going forward.

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Running back Jalen Richard could be the biggest beneficiary from this move as he is second in targets with 31. However, with Lynch on the IR, he will likely split time with Doug Martin.

The Raiders come back from their bye week to face an Indianapolis Colts team that averaged just over 32 points per game over their last four weeks. Maybe streaming the defense facing the Raiders isn’t a bad strategy in the second half.

After losing to the Washington Redskins and falling to 3-4, the Cowboys needed to make a move. The NFC East is separated by just 1.5 games and Dallas has a chance to win with a good second half. They will be on bye in Week 8, giving Cooper an extra week to learn the playbook.

Cole Beasley leads the team in receptions and Ezekiel Elliott is second. Dak Prescott needed another offensive weapon to help this team succeed. Allen Hurns made a couple of good plays in Week 7 but also dropped a couple of crucial passes as well.

The combination of Prescott, Elliott and Cooper could lead to a lot of scoring from the Cowboys. Elliott will get his fantasy points. This move may make Prescott a second-half waiver add if he looks good against the Tennessee Titans in Week 9.

Once a Pro Bowl wide receiver, Cooper’s fantasy ownership percentage is at 84 percent in ESPN leagues. If he was dropped in yours, likely if it’s a shallow league, I would add him as your fourth wide receiver. It’s a low-risk, high-reward pick at this point in the season.

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The Raiders offensive players lose some fantasy value as there is one fewer weapon defenses have to worry about. Though, there may be a sleeper that breaks out as a result. Prescott Cooper should see a bounce-back in the second half in the weak NFC East.

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