The Jets’ receiver room looks different this week. Garrett Wilson will miss Sunday’s game in Kansas City with a concussion, which leaves Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell as New York’s top options in the passing game. Cooper posted 22.3 and 22.5 PPR points in his first two games after returning to the lineup, but he did not draw a target against Las Vegas last week. Find out whether you should start or sit Omar Cooper Jr. in Week 9.
Omar Cooper Jr. Start or Sit Advice for Week 9
Wilson’s absence frees up a lot of volume. He has drawn 7.9 targets per game and 27.6% of the Jets’ targets, along with 36.8% of their air yards. That work has to go somewhere, and Cooper has already shown he can handle a bigger role, averaging six targets per game across Weeks 6 and 7.
He has been productive when the ball comes his way. Cooper has caught 12 of his 13 targets for 248 yards and two touchdowns, and he has added 112 YAC on those receptions.
Geno Smith has been efficient, too. The Jets carry a 104.5 quarterback rating against a league average of 91.6, so the problem in New York has been volume rather than quarterback play.
The Biggest Fantasy Risk for Omar Cooper Jr. in Week 9
Kansas City is a brutal environment for receivers. The Chiefs allow 24.0 PPR points per game to wide receivers against a league average of 31.3, and they have given up just two receiving touchdowns to the position all season, compared with a league mark of 6.6. Receivers are catching only 58.7% of their targets against them, below the league average of 62.2%. Kansas City has faced Denver twice, Indianapolis, Miami, Las Vegas, the Chargers and Seattle, a group throwing right around league average against them, so the schedule is not propping up those numbers.
The secondary is not fully healthy. Cornerback Mansoor Delane has been limited with a shoulder injury this week after sitting out Week 8, and L’Jarius Sneed remains on injured reserve. That helps a little, but the Chiefs have contained receivers all season.
New York’s passing volume is another problem. The Jets average 28.5 targets per game against a league average of 31.6, score 21.2 points per game and convert just 42.3% of their red zone trips. Mitchell is also a real threat to absorb Wilson’s looks. He has averaged 6.8 targets per game, owns 21.6% of the team’s air yards and just caught seven of nine targets for 142 yards against the Raiders.
Cooper’s efficiency is also due to cool off. Gaining 19.1 yards per target is not a pace that holds, and last week’s empty stat line shows how low his floor can go.
Fantasy Outlook for Omar Cooper Jr. in Week 9
Sit Cooper in Week 9 in most fantasy lineups. Wilson’s absence raises his ceiling, but Kansas City has shut down wide receivers all season, and the Jets do not throw enough to guarantee him steady volume, especially with Mitchell competing for the same targets.
In deeper full PPR leagues, fantasy managers covering Steelers and Titans players on bye can take a shot on him as a boom-or-bust FLEX, since the vacated targets give him a path to a useful game. Just know that a zero-target outing a week ago is a reminder of how thin the margin is in this matchup.