Following the trade that sent wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Bills, there was a lot of excitement of what that move could add to one of the NFL’s best offenses. While Cooper had a strong debut, he missed last week’s 30-27 win for the Bills against the Miami Dolphins with an injury. The Bills will hope to have Cooper available this week against the Indianapolis Colts.
Amari Cooper Injury Status
According to Pro Football Talk, Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Colts with a wrist injury. Cooper did not practice in a full capacity for a second consecutive week as he was limited.
The Bills wide receiver spoke to the media on Thursday and said that the biggest hurdle for him to overcome is pain management. Cooper said that he’s just taking it day by day. Added Bills head coach Sean McDermott, “To be honest, I just listen to what the trainer says and when he gets the green light, that’s when he’s playing and we haven’t gotten that to this point.”
With wide receiver Keon Coleman also ruled out, Cooper will be a player to monitor on Sunday morning. The Bills play the Colts in the earlier slate o games at 1 p.m. ET.
What Amari Cooper injury means for fantasy football
Cooper had a strong debut with the Bills as he recorded four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. He finished as the WR14 in Week 7, showing a glimpse that he might be the perfect fit at wide receiver in the Bills offense.
However, Cooper only had one catch for three yards the next week against the Seahawks and got injured trying to block late in the game. Since then, Cooper missed last week’s game against the Dolphins and could miss Sunday’s game against the Colts as well.
The Bills offense managed without Cooper last week. With that said, Keon Coleman has already been ruled out for Sunday, leaving them thin at the wide receiver position. If Cooper is able to play, he likely becomes the top option in the offense.
In the case that he can’t go, it becomes a big opportunity for Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid. Shakir is the team’s leading receiver with 42 receptions for 471 yards. Meanwhile, Kincaid is the team’s third-leading receiver with 332 yards on 32 receptions. With Cooper out of the linuep last week, Shakir and Kincaid combined for 10 receptions.
The matchup against the Colts, could especially be a positive one for Kincaid. The Colts are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends in 2024. Last week, Josh Oliver of the Vikings had five receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown and finished as the TE4.
With the receiving options in the Bills offense limited, Mack Hollins also becomes a player to watch. Hollins had five receptions and a touchdown last week. Hollins has been a red zone target in the Bills offense and brings touchdown upside. Quarterback Josh Allen has also done a good job targeting his running backs in the passing game. Ray Davis had a big play in the passing game that resulted in a touchdown, but James Cook also had five receptions for 25 yards.
If Cooper is unable to go, Shakir and Kincaid becomes must-starts with Hollins becoming a sneaky flex play as he should get more playing time.
