Miami Dolphins - Fantasy News

Who to Start: Amari Cooper or Jarvis Landry?

by Mike Rose

11/2/17

NFL

Miami Dolphins

Jarvis Landry

A matchup with huge implications is set to occur in Miami on Sunday Night Football when the Dolphins welcome the Oakland Raiders to Hard Rock Stadium for the first meeting between these two teams since 2014.

The game three years ago was played overseas at Wembley Stadium in London, so it’s been awhile since these AFC foes have faced off in the States. The Dolphins won that game in a landslide, 38-14.

When that matchup took place, Amari Cooper was still playing for Alabama, while Jarvis Landry wasn’t much of a factor for the Dolphins. That likely won’t be the case this week.

Fantasy Matchup: Amari Cooper (11.5 PFP) vs. Jarvis Landry (11.5 PFP)

Cooper has had a very dreary 2017 season halfway through the campaign. He’s only managed three touchdowns and two of them came in his best game back in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that divisional matchup, he racked up 11 receptions for 210 yards and a pair of scores. His only other time finding the end zone came in the opening week of the season.

The former Crimson Tide star has surpassed the 50-yard plateau only twice while recording five-plus catches only four times. This is very unlike Cooper, who through eight games in 2016 had only two touchdowns yet had 787 yards and four games over the 100-yard mark in that stretch. All of those were 120-plus yard performances with the highest total reaching 173. This year, though, there are three games in which he’s caught only one or two passes for less than 10 yards.

Being ranked the No. 20 wide receiver in fantasy is a bit shocking considering his lack of production, but his huge performance against the Chiefs could have saved his spot on many fantasy teams and your Dober Play Cards going forward.

He’ll be facing a Miami defense that concedes an average of 130.3 yards per game to pass catchers (No. 10) at 13.3 yards per attempt. This has tough matchup written all over it yet again for Cooper, which has sadly been the story of his 2017 campaign.

Meanwhile, Landry’s presence on the Dolphins has definitely been more prominent in the team’s wins than losses this season. He’s hauled in all three of his touchdown receptions in those games while not recording a single score in the three defeats. Two of the three contests in which he’s scored were in front of the home crowd.

Like Miami’s unit, Oakland’s defense ranks as one of the better ones against opposing pass catchers (No. 14). The Raiders have allowed just 148.8 yards per game, good for 12.9 yards per attempt.

After a slow start to the year, Landry has scored three touchdowns in his last four games. This is a good sign for him and his fantasy owners as well as those looking to start him in their Dober Pick ‘Ems. Despite his recent breakout game in Week 7, I don’t trust Cooper just yet. So when looking at who to start on your Dober Play Cards, go with the home guy Landry.

Week 9 Fantasy Projection: Jarvis Landry (EVEN) vs. Amari Cooper