Amari Cooper is rightfully the Oakland Raiders receiver who receives all the attention and headlines. He was the No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft and has far outpaced every other rookie wide receiver this season, after all. But some of quarterback Derek Carr's improvement should be attributed to the savvy veteran Michael Crabtree.
Crabtree, who signed just a one-year deal with the Raiders in free agency, is off to a solid start. Though his fantasy production hasn't equaled his real life impact, Crabtree has seen a healthy average of 9.6 targets per game so far this year. That makes him a decent play this week against the San Diego Chargers.
"This can - and probably will - change as Amari Cooper gets more acclimated to the NFL, but, for the time being, Michael Crabtree is Derek Carr's top target in Oakland," ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Mike Clay wrote. "Despite missing nearly half of Week 4, Crabtree has racked up 48 targets on 186 routes. In what is one of the most bizarre stats of the year, Cooper has been targeted while within 25 yards of the opponent's goal line twice this season. Crabtree has seen 11 in that area. Further limiting his fantasy ceiling, Cooper is doing most of his damage near the line of scrimmage. His 6.6 average depth of targets is second-lowest to only Jarvis Landry among wide receivers with 30 or more targets. Cooper is the better talent and fantasy asset, but Crabtree is the better short-term play, especially considering his cheaper price tags in DFS."
Overall, Crabtree has hauled in 27 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown. If he continues to display solid chemistry with Carr, it's likely that the Raiders will reward him with a long-term contract.
However, Cooper will remain the higher-upside play and will likely surpass Crabtree in targets and weekly production soon.
