The Dallas Cowboys got some good news this week, as star wide receiver Amari Cooper will play Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints. That is also good news for many fantasy football managers. Cooper has missed the last two games after contracting COVID-19.

But it would be wise to temper expectations from him Thursday. Reportedly, Cooper was still experiencing symptoms as recently as Tuesday. The team was not sure if he was even going to be able to play.

Cooper has been a solid WR2 in fantasy for most of the season. But fellow Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb has clearly passed him as a borderline WR1. The fact that Cooper might not be at full strength is the obvious reason to worry about his production Thursday.

But also the possible game script could hurt his value. The Cowboys are 6.5 point favorites. If they take a sizable lead early, Cooper might not play the normal amount of snaps allotted for him.

The Cowboys are without Cedrick Wilson with an ankle injury, so depth could have been an issue.

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If Cooper is back to full strength and the game stays tight, we could see a big change in fantasy value. Michael Gallup should is now a borderline flex play with Cooper back in the lineup.

During the last two weeks with Cooper sidelined, Gallup saw 10 and eight targets respectively. He turned those opportunities into 10 catches for 150 yards. One would think his looks will decline significantly with a healthy Cooper and Lamb in the lineup.