Cooper should compete with Adonai Mitchell for 2026 playing time, but the team reportedly sought Mitchell as a piece of last year’s Sauce Gardner trade. So Cooper seems most likely to settle in as the No. 3 wideout early and fall short of fantasy relevance. Combine that with a lackluster prospect profile on a team with no long-term QB answer, and Cooper’s not especially attractive for any fantasy format.
Fantasy Rankings & Projections
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Omar Cooper Jr.'s Preseason Player Analysis
Draft Sharks Verdict
2025 Role & Results
You Didn’t Always Look Like a First-Rounder
The Jets selected Cooper 30th overall in April, but he was never an obvious candidate for the NFL Draft’s first round.
He hit college as a three-star recruit who lost the interest of some schools after a 2020 tear of his left ACL. Cooper redshirted at Indiana in 2022 and then tallied just 46 catches over the ensuing two seasons.
He broke out as a redshirt junior last fall, leading the Hoosiers in receptions (69) and receiving yards (937). But he trailed teammate Elijah Sarratt in receptions per game (4.3 vs. 4.6) and total TD catches (15-13) despite playing two more games.
Cooper’s 2025 role shifted heavily into the slot, jumping from 16.2% and 9.7% of his pass snaps there the previous two seasons to 83.3% last year. That move also cut his average depth of target from 15.1 and 16.0 to 9.2.
If the Jets view him similarly, Cooper could have trouble getting on the field early in the NFL.
2026 Opportunity & Projection
Projected Role & Competition
There’s clear opportunity but limited upside for Cooper with the Jets.\
He lands on a team with a dominant target collector in Garrett Wilson. The incumbent gobbled up the league’s third-most targets across his first three seasons -- trailing only Davante Adams and CeeDee Lamb -- before losing 10 games to a knee injury last year.
Wilson’s back from that and giving no indication it’ll hamper his 2026. And there don’t appear to be defined WR roles behind him.
HC Aaron Glenn has spoken well of Adonai Mitchell this offseason, but the former second-round pick has averaged just 1.7 receptions per game through his first two seasons. Beating him for the spot opposite Wilson looks like Cooper’s best shot at meaningful rookie-year work.
If the Jets prefer Mitchell as the No. 2 WR and Cooper as the slot guy, the rookie could suffer for ramped-up 2-TE usage. New York drafted TE Mason Taylor in the second round last year and TE Kenyon Sadiq in Round 1 this April.
Supporting Cast
That crowded group meets with a Breece Hall-fronted backfield and a new OC, Frank Reich, who has gone pretty balanced in his offensive approach overall across 10 years as an OC or HC in the league.
QB Geno Smith should provide a passing upgrade over last year’s Justin Fields-Tyrod Taylor combo, but he’s also not likely to push the group to high-level production.
Advanced Stats
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Trends
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Omar Cooper Carrying Some Momentum
Omar Cooper Carrying Some Momentum
It was a tough summer for Jets WR Omar Cooper. He was largely quiet in camp and preseason action and even fell behind WR Isaiah Williams on the depth chart at one point. But The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that Cooper "came on strong at the end of camp."
If You've Been Drafting Omar Cooper Jr. ... Stop
If You've Been Drafting Omar Cooper Jr. ... Stop
We covered earlier this week how Jets rookie Omar Cooper Jr. might be in danger of Isaiah Williams passing him on the depth chart. Friday's preseason opener turned that into reality. Cooper played zero snaps with the starting offense, while Williams played seven of the 11 and ran five routes. That put him narrowly behind top-two WRs Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. They each played all 11 snaps and ran seven routes.
Omar Cooper Losing Ground In Jets Camp
Omar Cooper Losing Ground In Jets Camp
Jets WR Omar Cooper has had a quiet start to training camp by most accounts. ESPN's Rich Cimini even suggested on Tuesday that WR Isaiah Williams could pass Cooper on the depth chart. WR coach Shawn Jefferson said Cooper has experienced "little pitfalls ... That's part of being a rookie."
Kenyon Sadiq Starts Camp on Time
Kenyon Sadiq Starts Camp on Time
Jets TE Kenyon Sadiq took the field Wednesday for the start of training camp, confirming that he and the team appropriately timed his "minor procedure" to address a hernia. The issue had lingered since Sadiq's final college season, and HC Aaron Glenn said back in May that they expected the rookie to be ready for training camp.
Don't Give Up On Adonai Mitchell
Don't Give Up On Adonai Mitchell
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt calls WR Adonai Mitchell one of the Jets' "biggest stars" so far this offseason. Mitchell has drawn praise from other media members, as well as teammates and coaches.
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