Who Should I Start? Austin Trammell or Darius Cooper

Saturday, August 17, 11:10 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Austin Trammell led the team in receiving in a 20-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Trammell shined the most in a two-minute drill at the end of the first half, where he caught two passes for 49 yards, which accounted for all 49 yards on the drive, leading to a field goal as time expired. He finished with four catches for 75 yards and contributed a bit as a punt returner. Trammell is 26 years old and entering his fourth year in the league. His main value is on special teams, but he showed he could contribute as a receiver in this game. Trammell has a lot of talent in front of him before he can get on the field and provide fantasy value, but any receiving production he provides in preseason should help his odds of making the 53-man roster.

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.