Fantasy Fallout: Winners & Losers From The Amari Cooper Trade (Jalen Richard & More)

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

There had been rumors about the Raiders shopping WR Amari Cooper, but with them looking for a first round draft pick in return there was skepticism about a deal being made.  However the Dallas Cowboys decided to meet the price tag, as they try to revitalize their passing attack and capitalize on a struggling NFC East.

Who are the biggest winners and losers from the deal?  Let’s take a look:

Winner – Jalen Richard (RB, OAK)
Between the loss of Cooper and with Marshawn Lynch heading to IR, there are suddenly a significant number of touches for the taking.  While Doug Martin should get an opportunity to absorb some of the carries, it’s Richard who likely gets the biggest boost in value.  He’s already been a force in the passing game (31 receptions for 253 yards) and he’s shown an explosiveness running the football over the previous two seasons:

• 2016 – 5.9 yards/carry (83 carries)
• 2017 – 4.9 yards/carry (56 carries)

He’s never had more than 9 carries in a game, but don’t be surprised if he is getting 12-15 touches from this point forward.  Considering his ability to make plays, that would put him on RB2 radars.

Loser – Michael Gallup (WR, DAL)
Just when it looked like he was primed to see his role expand the Cowboys go out and bring in what they hope will be a true #1 receiver (though that’s hardly a certainty).  Gallup could continue to see a few more opportunities, but with Cooper now being added it’s impossible to expect there to be consistent chances for the rookie.

Incomplete – The Quarterbacks
Obviously it would be easy to declare Dak Prescott a winner and Derek Carr a loser in the wake of this trade, but is it really that clear?  Maybe a new system will help get Amari Cooper going and no one is going to question his potential, but at the end of the day his numbers have been pedestrian over his past 20 games:

• 2017 – 48 receptions for 680 yards and 7 TD over 14 games
• 2018 – 22 receptions for 280 yards and 1 TD over 6 games

That’s an average of 3.5 catches and 48 yards per game.  That shouldn’t be hard to replace for Carr and company (Martavis Bryant will step up, perhaps, though not enough to consider him a winner) and it’s no guarantee that he provides the impact that the Cowboys and Prescott are hoping for (especially since the offense should continue to run through Ezekiel Elliot).

Source – ESPN

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