Amari Cooper traded to Bills: Impact on fantasy football

It was a busy day on the wide receiver news front Tuesday, leaving fantasy football managers reeling as the Buffalo Bills made a spectacular move to sign star WR Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns – just hours after it was announced It was announced that the Jets had acquired All-Pro Davante Adams.

It's a fresh start for Cooper, who has been wasted this year because of a Browns offense that isn't going anywhere quickly, while Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets another weapon after Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans this offseason .

What does this mean for your fantasy football teams? Let's dive in.

Josh Allen's floor as a passer is rising

While QB Josh Allen is the ultimate playmaker who has gotten the most out of his diverse group of receivers, there is little doubt that the addition of Cooper significantly increases his potential as a passer.

In just six games this season, Allen has already posted as many finishes as QB19 or worse than he did all of last season, and it's obvious that has a lot to do with limitations in the passing game. Through six weeks, Allen is on a 17-game pace with just 3,287 passing yards (28 TD, 0 INT) – his lowest passing yardage and touchdown totals since his second NFL season in 2019. Cooper comes to the offense will limit playing time for Mack Hollins and Marquez Valdes-Scantling while also providing some cushion for rookie Keon Coleman to face him.

Amari Cooper can Strictly speaking Check out some catchable targets

Cooper's jump in value is also easy to diagnose. Virtually every person on the planet would be an improvement to the quality of Cooper's goals (probably me included); His 60% catchable target rate puts him in the 15th percentile for wide receivers this season, according to PFF.

An upgrade to an MVP-caliber quarterback like Allen? Yes, that is gigantic.

Cooper is a seasoned pro who should adapt to the Bills' offense quickly enough. Even though he's only 30 years old, Cooper is used to being the focal point of his respective offenses. Expect Cooper to produce as a weekly WR2 with WR1 on his head, catching balls from a technician like Allen who isn't afraid to throw up “YOLO” balls for his top receiver even when the play fails.

As for the Bills' other pass-catchers, continue to count on Khalil Shakir as a flex (who could actually benefit from the defensive attention Cooper is receiving) and Dalton Kincaid as a midrange TE1, who has scored 5+ in each of his last four Has scored goals in games. There should still be plenty of targets to execute on, although Cooper's addition means the target volume is a bit more volatile than it was in the first six weeks of the season.

David Njoku wins for the Browns…sort of

The only reason I feel compelled to name a winner for the Browns is because Cooper's departure leaves some targets unanswered.

The problem? These goals come from QB Deshaun Watson, who for some unknown Reason, has yet to be benched, even though he ranks last in the league with 5.1 yards per pass attempt, is in the top five in uncatchable pass rate (22.2%) and leads the league with 31 sacks. Ouch.

Expect offseason signing Jerry Jeudy to lead teams in snaps along the perimeter as the new “WR1,” while second-year WR Cedric Tillman could see an increase in snaps despite having the odds that he has received so far has not used efficiently. Elijah Moore should maintain his role as the primary slot option. That said, don't expect much to change from a personnel standpoint, which is hugely important to fantasy.

What's perhaps notable is the fact that TE David Njoku has run the seventh-highest percentage of his routes this year (21.7%) spread among tight ends with 10+ targets, and that percentage could certainly rise if not Case is Cooper. If healthy, Njoku should be a consideration at tight end any week if you don't have a solid starter, especially given his chance at increased target share.

All in all, the Browns offense is so bad right now that there are no real winners. Sorry, Cleveland.