Who Should I Start? Jacob Cowing or Darius Cooper

Wednesday, August 27, 10:59 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jacob Cowing (hamstring) was placed on the Injured Reserve list on Wednesday, guaranteeing that he will miss at least the first four games of the season. Cowing was battling a hamstring injury for most of training camp and suffered a major setback while trying to return for the team's final preseason game. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan provided a six-week return timeline for Cowing, making his IR placement an easy decision. The 24-year-old would have had a chance to make an early-season impact had he been able to stay healthy, as the 49ers' wide receiver room has been besieged by injuries behind WR1 Ricky Pearsall. With the delayed start, Cowing should be off the radar of fantasy managers for the time being. However, he could be an under-the-radar midseason pickup, depending on the status of currently sidelined 49ers wideouts Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Jauan Jennings (calf).

Friday, December 5, 10:21 PM

Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver Darius Cooper achieved his second-highest snap percentage of the season last week against the Bears, seeing 24.1% of offensive plays. This is the first time in his career that he's played over 20% in consecutive games. Unfortunately, Cooper came back down to earth after his two-catch outing against the Cowboys, and was unable to record any stats against Chicago. It is interesting to see the undrafted rookie get some more opportunities, and with fellow WR Jahan Dotson (toe) being limited at the last two practices, Cooper's number could be called even more this week against the Chargers. However, he'll still be behind star wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and he has a lot more work to do to prove himself as a consistent option on this offense. Cooper is still not ready to be rostered in fantasy.