Who Should I Start? Ainias Smith or Darius Cooper

Tuesday, August 19, 9:35 AM

Second-year Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Ainias Smith has enjoyed a healthy training camp, and his coaches have taken notice. Last season, as a fifth-round rookie, he struggled through camp with a stress fracture in his shin that would eventually land him on Injured Reserve for two months. This year, he is healthy and competing for one of the Eagles' last receiver spots on the 53-man roster. He has played in each of the team's first two preseason games, catching a touchdown in both and returning punts and kicks, as his path to the roster may run through special teams. Smith has been competing with fellow second-year wideout Johnny Wilson and undrafted rookie Darius Cooper for one of the team's final roster spots, and on Sunday, the Eagles acquired former second-round pick John Metchie III from the Houston Texans. Whoever can win the camp battle will have little relevance in managed redraft leagues, but could be worth a stash in deep dynasty formats.

Sunday, January 4, 9:17 AM

Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver Darius Cooper could handle a much larger workload than usual during Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Washington Commanders. Head coach Nick Sirianni indicated that he will rest several starters on Sunday, and although he didn't specifically list which players will be resting, it's fair to speculate that wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown could be among the group. If so, Cooper would likely step into the No. 2 wide receiver role behind Jahan Dotson. Cooper hasn't ascended higher than third on the depth chart this season, so we don't know exactly what his role would look like if he earns the start opposite Dotson. With that being said, he has flashed potential lately. He caught two passes for 29 yards on a 30% snap share in Week 15, and he caught one pass for four yards on a career-high 31% snap share just last Sunday. There's a strong chance that the 24-year-old rookie plays more than half of the snaps if Brown and Smith are sidelined, and that could give him low-end WR3/flex appeal in very deep leagues. Once the Eagles announce which starters are resting, managers could consider adding Cooper to be a desperation WR3/flex play in fantasy leagues with at least 14 teams.