Amari Cooper Traded to Cleveland, Fantasy Impact

After rumors that he would be released, WR Amari Cooper found himself instead traded Saturday, moving from the Dallas Cowboys to the Cleveland Browns, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The 27-year-old Cooper spent the last 3.5 seasons in Dallas, topped 1,100 yards in each of 2019 and 2020 before falling to 865 last year. The Cowboys were rumored to be set to release Cooper if they couldn’t find a trade partner, rolling with CeeDee Lamb and likely re-signing Michael Gallup. Instead, they get a fifth-round pick back and swap picks in the sixth.

Amari Cooper Heads to Cleveland, Fantasy Impact

Fantasy impact: Cooper would probably have preferred to choose his destination, because the Browns haven’t produced a seriously fantasy-relevant receiver since Josh Gordon’s heyday. Still, Cooper immediately becomes the team’s No. 1 ahead of Jarvis Landry, and an offense headlined by those two, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, David Njoku and Austin Hooper is a strong set of weapons who will go as far as Baker Mayfield can take them — which has the chances of being a terrifying phrase.

Back in Dallas, this clears the way for Lamb to be the unquestioned No. 1 in the offense, giving him a solid WR1 ceiling if everything breaks right. The team is also rumored to be interested in bringing back free agents Michael Gallup and/or Cedrick Wilson, with a Gallup deal reported to be “close.” Gallup, who tore his ACL in January, has a recovery ahead of him, but could be a solid WR2/flex option when healthy. — Daniel Kelley