RADIO
Fantasy football draft season is upon us and RotoBaller is here to help! In this series, two RotoBaller experts will discuss the merits of two players with similar value and average draft position (ADP). Remember that situations will change for all players over the course of the summer and it may impact where they are selected in drafts.
Our Player vs. Player series continues with a hot dynasty debate over two stud wideouts that any fantasy team would be happy to have.
Matt Terelle extols the virtues of picking Cincinnati Bengals star A.J. Green in a dynasty startup, while Pierre Camus (@pfunk00) explains why he believes Amari Cooper is the better choice.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Playoff Challenge #2 is back with a massive $100,000 grand prize and $203,250 total prize pool, paying down to 100th place. Here's the deal: no salary cap, no draft, no pickups, no subs. Choose 8 players, and as NFL teams get knocked out so will your players, so choose your team wisely. The entries will sell out quickly, and registrations will close on Saturday January 17th at 4:30 pm ET . Don't wait - get your team now and end your fantasy football season with a shot at $100,000! Sign Up Now!
A.J. Green (WR, CIN) - Matt
A.J. Green, heading into his age-29 season, continues to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Green was well on his way to posting a career year in 2016 before a Week 11 hamstring injury knocked him out for the remainder of the season. Even though Green technically suited up for 10 games, he left his Week 11 contest against the Buffalo Bills after playing just two snaps, effectively making his 2016 season just nine games. In just over nine games, Green caught 66-of-100 targets for 964 yards and four touchdowns, falling short of a 1,000-yard season for the first time in his six-year career. Green continued his target hog ways in 2016, finishing the season second on the Bengals in targets and tied for second in red zone targets, even though he didn’t play in six games.
The addition of 2017 draft pick John Ross may seem like a negative for Green’s target share in 2017, but Ross’ elite deep speed will serve to open up the field for Green to operate. Sure, Green will lose a few targets but that will be offset by improved efficiency on the targets he does see. Furthermore, Tyler Eifert, Green’s primary competition for targets, has yet to finish a full NFL season without getting injured. One of the main concerns with the Bengals offense this year has been related to the team’s offensive line. Those concerns are founded as the Bengals’ offensive line is expected to take a major step back this season after they lost starters Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler. While that may seem like a problem for the Bengals’ passing game, it will likely be more of an issue for the run game, which will force the team skew pass-heavier than they have in the past. A pass-heavy approach would certainly benefit Green and his fellow pass-catchers in 2017.
Give me the rock-solid, proven producer in Green, who should have another couple of elite seasons in his tank, followed by consistent production well into his 30s.
Amari Cooper (WR, OAK) - Pierre
Is Cooper going to be better for fantasy teams this year than Green? Maybe. Will Cooper be a consistent top-1o point-producing WR for the next several years like Green already has been? Maybe. It's hard for me to unequivocally state that Cooper will be as good as Green or better. But I'm willing to find out. Cooper was a four-star recruit out of the football haven that is South Florida and stood out at the college level for the juggernaut Alabama Crimson Tide. Now, he plays the WR1 role for the Oakland Raiders, who finished 12-4 last season and now boast the highest-paid quarterback in all the land. Cooper has always excelled at the highest level among the toughest competition and there is little chance he won't do so in the NFL. His stats last year were a bit disappointing compared to preseason expectations, but it's easy to forget it was his second year in the league and he was a mere 22 years old! Therein lies the biggest argument in favor of Cooper. While Green's best years may already be behind him, Cooper is just getting started.
Statistically, there isn't too much to separate the two otherwise. In his two seasons, Cooper caught 155 passes and averaged 14.3 Y/R, while Green collected 162 receptions at the start of his career and is at 14.8 Y/R for his career. It's true that Cooper could be more effective in the red zone, but he seems to be doing his best to change that. If you've seen recent pictures of him jacked up in the offseason, you'd think opposing cornerbacks might be afraid to cover him this season. A possible foot injury might also be to blame for his second half dip in production, despite the fact he didn't miss any games, but he showed his toughness by playing through it anyway. If you're a believer in the third-year breakout from wide receivers, that's just another feather in the cap of Cooper. Whether he becomes an "elite" receiver in the league this year remains to be seen, but it's more likely than not based on his pedigree.
Rebuttals
Matt - A.J. Green is the elite receiver here
I actually really like Amari Cooper. I own him on several of my dynasty teams and strongly believe he's at or near the top of the new wave of young, elite wide receivers in the NFL. In a dynasty format, it's tempting to side with Cooper over Green but I believe that any dynasty owner with designs on winning in 2017 should be valuing Green over Cooper.
More 2017 Fantasy Football & ADP Analysis
