The final numbers were indeed impressive for Amari Cooper, who became the first rookie receiver in Oakland Raiders franchise history to surpass a 1,000 yards receiving in a season. It was also the first 1,000-yard season by a Raiders receiver since Randy Moss in 2005. But Cooper did fade late in the season, thanks to a foot injury and perhaps hitting the rookie wall. But Cooper, whose 10 drops were the second most in the league, is healthy and primed to take that next step with a quarterback who trusts him.
Amari Cooper
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 82.2 catches, 1,080.7 yards, 7.1 TDs
Over or under: Over for all three. Cooper had a Pro Bowl year in 2015, making 72 catches for 1,070 yards and six TDs, but he is Carr’s guy, especially after the two vibed and coalesced as training camp roommates in Napa. Coopers numbers only figure to increase. Continuity and familiarity go hand-in-hand with young players and so long as Cooper, with a year of NFL experience under his belt, is able to pace himself, late-season fades should be a thing of the past.
Who else could see time: Michael Crabtree is coming off a bounce-back year in which he tied career highs in catches (85) and TD catches (9), but his yards per catch average of 10.8 was the second-lowest of his career. Now that he has his contract, how motivated will Crabtree be in his eighth NFL season? Seth Roberts, who had five TDs, will want to be more involved in the red zone, so he could potentially eat into Cooper’s scoring production … unless the offense as a whole accelerates.
