Is wide receiver Amari Cooper's arrival going to be good for the Cleveland Browns in the 2022 NFL season?

Amari Cooper, a four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, will begin his eighth NFL campaign as a Cleveland Brown. Fans expect Cooper to assume a leadership role for the Browns this next season given his already demonstrated potential. That's in addition to Cleveland's scarcity of talent at the wideout position. Cooper will, however, be without Deshaun Watson, Cleveland's starting quarterback, for his first six games. Nevertheless, throughout the course of their 11 games together, Watson and Cooper may have several productive weeks together, and Cooper should continue to see a respectable number of targets from Jacoby Brissett as the season progresses.

For the previous two seasons, the Browns have been among the NFL's run-heavy teams, but Kevin Stefanski is willing to modify his playbook. As such, Cooper has a chance to be the undisputed No. 1 receiver in 2022 despite the veteran wideout coming off a disappointing season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Given that, there are a couple of questions for Cooper and the Browns. One, how will Cooper's fantasy worth be impacted by the unexpected shift in Cleveland's scheme? Second, when should fantasy owners aim to pick the receiver in the upcoming draft?

Some fantasy managers may select Cooper in the fourth or fifth round, prepare for a possible sluggish start, and then anticipate top-12 output after Watson returns. Other general managers could decide not to choose Cooper at all and then attempt to trade for him if he has a sluggish start.

Amari Cooper 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook

The Browns' first significant offseason acquisition only cost them a fifth-round pick. Amari Cooper now has an opportunity to really emerge as the best player there, especially with Jarvis Landry now in New Orleans. Regardless of who the Browns have under center, Cooper will definitely receive a lot of attention.

Amari Cooper will undoubtedly be the preferred target for Cleveland's quarterbacks in 2022, unlike the previous year. The Browns dismissed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the middle of last season, and they also let veteran receiver Jarvis Landry go following the 2021 campaign. As a result, Cooper will now play with tight end David Njoku and rising third-year pass catcher Donovan Peoples-Jones.

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Cooper has the potential to produce well in fantasy football. That's even with backup Jacoby Brissett under center while they wait out Deshaun Watson's suspension. Remember that Brissett has started 37 games over his six-year NFL career, throwing for almost 8,000 yards and 36 touchdowns. Although he cannot be compared to Watson, Brissett is unquestionably not the worst backup. A Brissett-Cooper connection won't be the end of the world for the Browns and for the latter's fantasy value.

Cooper did have a recent injury scare in the Browns' training camp, but the worst fears seem to be unfounded there.

Regardless of the quarterback situation, though, Cooper should continue to eat up targets and be a reliable fantasy option. Prospective owners should consider him a high-floor flex option.