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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper has now played in four straight games since returning from a wrist injury that held him out of two contests. Yet he was shockingly held to zero catches, failing to register even a single target, in the Week 15 win over the Detroit Lions.
What makes this even more puzzling is that the game was an absolute shootout. Buffalo escaped with a 48-42 win last Sunday in one of the most thrilling games of the season. Quarterback Josh Allen threw 34 passes, completing 23 of them for 362 yards and two touchdowns.
Yet Cooper didn't get any of it. Why?
Did Amari Cooper Play In Week 15?
Yes, he did. Though it's interesting to note that his playing time just hasn't been very good since he's joined his new team. He played just 46% of offensive snaps in Week 15. What's interesting is that Cooper actually ran the fourth-least routes of any WR on the team. Why he's in the passing patterns less than fellow WR Mack Hollins is befuddling.
Amari Cooper 14 targets last week
Amari Cooper 0 targets this week pic.twitter.com/1jckdsvWa9
— Andy Gee (@iGetDucketz) December 16, 2024
But the Bills have been rotating their receivers in and out of various formations all season. It's important to remember that Cooper is 30 years old, and the team will need him for their playoff push. It's possible he's not fully acclimated to the offense yet, that they're being careful with him because of his injury history, or this is just the offense they want to run anyway.
The third option has some merit, because Buffalo's offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, has typically run his offense this way. Last year, we saw WR Stefon Diggs' numbers take a nosedive after Brady took over at OC.
Why Was Amari Cooper Not Targeted?
The biggest reason may be because Allen simply didn't have to. The team won anyway. They have plenty of solid offensive weapons, such as WRs Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman, running backs James Cook and Ray Davis, and Allen himself, of course. Cooper's lack of playing time and low route totals prime him for wild variance scoring-wise.
Amari Cooper in two weeks...
Week 14:
53% snaps
58% routes
14 targets for a 38% target shareWeek 15:
46% snaps
42% routes
0 targets pic.twitter.com/TuZpkj48JY— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) December 18, 2024
It's extremely difficult to trust him moving forward. He was used like the team's 4th-best WR in Week 15. That's not something you can count on in fantasy football.
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