Who Should I Start? Kameron Johnson or Darius Cooper

Saturday, November 22, 12:44 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Kameron Johnson has failed to capitalize on new opportunities with his teammates injured. The second-year receiver has just four catches in 2025, and all four of them came in one game. Outside of that anomalous contest, he has two targets and zero receptions. Johnson played just nine percent of the snaps last Sunday against Buffalo, primarily contributing on special teams. He has 16 kick returns for 394 yards this season, plus 17 punt returns for an additional 219 yards. It has been a bit surprising to see Johnson remain in a depth role despite injuries to his teammates. Chris Godwin (leg), Mike Evans (collarbone), and Jalen McMillan (neck) have all missed significant time, but it hasn't created much of an increase in opportunities for Johnson. Godwin could return this week against the Los Angeles Rams, which would figure to knock down Johnson's involvement even further. He can be dropped in most fantasy leagues.

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.