Amari Cooper was Oakland's first-round pick and the fourth player overall selected in this year's NFL draft. Amari Cooper is the one who is supposed to be partnering with quarterback Derek Carr to build an offensive foundation for years to come. Amari Cooper is the Raiders wideout who is supposed to be getting all of the headlines and attention.
So why is Michael Crabtree outperforming him?
Okay, maybe that isn't fair to say given that Cooper has to go up against the likes of Darrelle Revis, Chris Harris, Jason Verrett, etc. But Crabtree has been the better fantasy wide receiver of late and that trend may continue this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"It's Michael Crabtree, not Amari Cooper, who leads the Raiders in targets these days and Crabtree is still available in more than 20 percent of ESPN leagues," Senior Fantasy Football analyst Matthew Berry wrote in his weekly Love/Hate column. "Crabtree has back-to-back games with a score, has at least eight points in four of his past six and gets a Steelers team that is 27th against the pass the past five weeks."
Not only that, but the Steelers currently rank 27th in opposing completion percentage (67.8) and 19th in yards per pass attempt (7.5) and passer rating (93.3). They are a beatable opponent for fantasy purposes and Carr has been on fire lately.
Yes, Cooper leads the Raiders with 565 receiving yards. But Crabtree has seen nine more targets than the rookie, has caught more passes and produced more first downs and is being targeted in the end zone more frequently. Does any of this mean Cooper can't blow up this Sunday? No. He's a supremely talented wide receiver who can go off at any time. But Crabtree is the hot hand at the moment and could produce solid numbers this week.
