12 Players to Avoid in Fantasy Football Drafts This Year

Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

By AJ Weinberg

From a talent perspective, Amari Cooper has it all. He also had a solidly productive rookie year, finishing the season as a serviceable WR2 in most leagues.

So, why do I not like him?

My issues with Cooper are less concerns with his abilities to produce, but rather the cost you must pay to acquire him. He has a late second-round ADP in both standard and PPR leagues, meaning he has to have a significantly stronger season than last year to even meet his draft day cost.

While a foot injury curbed his production heavily over the final month of the season, his touchdown production -- or lack thereof -- is somewhat concerning for a wideout with his lofty draft position. Returning Oakland Raiders' receiver Michael Crabtree out-targeted Cooper in the red zone 15 to 7 last year. For comparison, receivers with similar average draft positions -- Brandon Marshall, Demaryius Thomas, and Mike Evans -- all saw 19-plus red zone looks last season.

Moreover, given the Raiders moves on defense and the offensive line this offseason, we should probably expect the team to be more run-heavy than they were a year ago, where they ranked ninth in drop-back-to-run ratio.

Cooper is an elite option in dynasty or keeper formats, but for now, he's being selected too high in redraft based on down-the-road potential.