Who Should I Start? Darius Cooper or Reggie Virgil

Friday, November 6, 12:10 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper has seen his role increase over the past two games, recording 61 offensive snaps in Week 7 and 66 snaps in Week 8, due to starting wide receivers DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) missing the past two contests. Smith and Wicks will miss a third consecutive game, with Cooper in line to see plenty of targets in a Week 9 matchup against the New York Giants. However, while Cooper has seen an uptick in his playing time over the past two weeks, and a decent number of targets in the passing game, the production has not been where it needs to be for him. In a 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8, Cooper was tied for second on the Eagles in targets (six), but he amassed just two receptions for 19 yards (9.5 yards per reception). In a 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7, Cooper earned three targets, but recorded just one catch for 17 yards. Cooper has played in all eight games for the Eagles this season, and has totaled 24 targets, 11 receptions, 175 receiving yards and four touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Cooper still ranks second in the NFL among qualifying players with 4.27 fantasy points per touch (half-PPR), but that is due in large part to his four touchdowns on 11 total receptions. Consistent production has not been a strong suit for Cooper. Also of consideration, Cooper will once again catch passes from a new starting quarterback in Joe Milton III in Week 9. Cooper is currently rostered in just 6% of Yahoo leagues. At best, Cooper is a touchdown-dependent streaming play for desperate fantasy managers in deep leagues. The Giants are strong against the pass, allowing just 184.9 passing yards per game (third in the NFL). Pro Football Reference notes the Giants allow 20.6 fantasy points per game to wide receivers (17th in the NFL). Cooper ranks as RotoBaller's No. 63 wide receiver for Week 9.