Fantasy football owners were quite gung-ho about Oakland Raiders rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper this offseason. The No. 4 overall pick was one of the sharpest route runners in recent memory and was expected to immediately be Oakland's No. 1 WR. Yet some expressed concern over Cooper's value in fantasy thanks to the limitations of Oakland's offense. What they didn't expect was for Cooper's fantasy value to be capped by Michael Crabtree.
Coming off a disappointing and injury-plagued season with the San Francisco 49ers, the Raiders managed to sign Crabtree to a one-year "prove it" type deal in free agency this offseason. Five games into this season and Crabtree has been a solid veteran presence for sophomore quarterback Derek Carr, especially in the red zone.
"The Raiders have scored on four of their eight pass plays in scoring range this season," ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Mike Clay wrote. "The bad news is that the volume is low (1.6 dropbacks per game is seventh-lowest), but the good news is that the efficiency is great (50 percent touchdown rate is third-best). Overall, the Raiders aren't getting to scoring range often enough, ranking 25th in the league at 3.4 snaps per game. Amari Cooper has been targeted while inside the opponent's 25-yard line only twice in five games. That's nine fewer than Michael Crabtree. Cooper will need more looks in the range or he'll struggle to score three or four touchdowns the rest of the way."
Cooper currently ranks 25th among wide receivers in fantasy scoring despite posting two games with at least 100-yards and catching at least four passes in every game this season. Although Crabtree far out paces him in red zone targets, he's managed just one score to Cooper's two. But as Clay mentioned, Oakland's offense will have to keep improving, and Carr will have to look Cooper's way more often, for the rookie to really take off. He's by far the most talented pass-catcher on Oakland's roster. But the Raider offense is not yet potent enough to support him as a consistent WR1 in fantasy.
