Listen - Cooper’s been going through it, man. Since he’s been in Cleveland, he’s put up with replacement level QB play from four different quarterbacks, and that includes his starter in Deshaun Watson. His catchable target rate is the lowest in the NFL among wide receivers to run 200 or more routes this season at 60%, which is a damn shame for one of the best route runners in the league. That’s led to five sub-top-20 finishes on the year so far in six games for Cooper, including three sub-top-50 finishes, too. And I’ve got bad news: that trend has a solid chance of continuing this week in a tough matchup against the Seahawks.
Seattle’s allowing the fewest fantasy points to perimeter wide receivers over the past four weeks, and that’s largely been a product of Devon Witherspoon’s breakout on the right side of the defense. Normally, I’d say Cooper’s capable of overcoming a tough matchup, but that argument occurs in a vacuum - his fantasy production does not. P.J. Walker has not helped sustain a single reliable wide receiver so far this season, and that isn’t going to change at this point.
I’ve got Cooper as a low-end WR3 this week, and I’d be tempted to throw in a young receiver like Tank Dell or Josh Downs to swing for some upside that Cooper lacks.