What You Need to Know:

• Cooper has simply fared better when sharing the field with Dak Prescott. In their lone full season together so far (2019), Cooper posted career highs in yards per target, yards per catch and yards per game. He delivered personal bests in total receiving yards and TDs that season, despite seeing just the 4th-most targets and 3rd-most receptions among his 6 seasons.
• His yards per route run in 2018 jumped from 1.35 over 6 games with Oakland to 2.21 in 9 games after his trade to Dallas, according to Pro Football Focus. Cooper then delivered a career-best 2.29 YPRR in 2019. Last year, he stood at 2.10 through 4 full games with Prescott. From Week 6 (the 1st game after the QB’s injury) on, Cooper posted a YPRR of just 1.72.
• Cooper’s 2019 also produced his longest average depth of target so far: 12.98, according to PFF. That put him within a half-yard of teammate Michael Gallup. Last season found Gallup at 12.70 vs. Cooper’s 9.49. In 2018, Gallup went 14.38, with Cooper at 10.00 for his Dallas stint.
• Cooper’s ADOT ran shorter in 2020 even when Prescott was in the lineup. But he went from 9.82 in 4 full Prescott games to 9.48 from Week 6 on. Gallup lost 6.44 yards off his ADOT in non-Dak games vs. weeks 1-4.
• The takeaway: Gallup works downfield more than Cooper in general, but Dak Prescott’s return should boost ADOTs in general. And that adds value as well as upside to the targets.
• Even with the issues of 2020, Cooper earned the 2nd-best PFF receiving grade of his career, trailing only his 2019 grade.
• Cooper also finished 15th among WRs in total PPR points last season, despite scoring just 5 TDs. He ranked 10th in 2019 and 18th in 2018. That year saw him jump from 9.5 points per game through 6 with the Raiders to 17.9 per game over 11 with the Cowboys (including the playoffs). Those 17.9 points per game would have ranked 10th at the position for the season.
• Cooper actually saw a slight bump in target share in 2020, with CeeDee Lamb on board: 20.3% vs. 19.9% in 2019. He got 23.2% through 4 full games with Prescott; 18.6% from Week 6 on.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

The biggest question facing Cooper is target share. Dak Prescott’s Week 5 injury kept us from getting a full read on how CeeDee Lamb’s arrival would impact that in 2020. The rookie had no negative impact on that area for Cooper vs. 2019’s results, though. And Dallas has leaned pass more since Cooper arrived than it did before. A continuation of last year’s plus-60% passing share would grow the target pie and help Cooper vs. other top fantasy WRs with higher market-share ceilings.

A crowded Cowboys offense does add some risk to Cooper, especially his week-to-week scoring. But we’re betting on him staying ahead of Lamb in fantasy output this year. Cooper looks appropriately priced at his high-WR2 ADP (Round 4).