In a crime against fantasy football, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper was ruled out of bounds on what should have been a long touchdown catch. Cooper, who has emerged as the No. 1 wide receiver for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, made an excellent over-the-shoulder catch and run that should have resulted in six points for Cleveland.
Instead, while Cooper tight roped the sidelines, the official closest to him ruled the former Pro Bowler out of bounds. This is all despite the fact that Cooper had nearly a food of space between himself and the sidelines, plus a clear path ahead of him towards the pylon. It was -- and I cannot stress this enough -- one of the worst out-of-bounds calls, specifically, that I have ever seen.
The official on the sideline makes this call, which makes the decision all the more confusing. What exactly was he looking at? Said referee had a clear view of the catch itself, and the run after the catch.
Amari Cooper fantasy football owners are in shambles
Amari Cooper has emerged on the fantasy football circuit as a dark horse of sorts. With the injury to Nick Chubb in Cleveland, the Browns must rely more heavily on their passing game and Watson. Cooper, being the team's No. 1 wide receiver and a deep threat, would make sense as a player who should receive an uptick in production the next few weeks.
As bad as Watson has been so far this year, he's still a former All-Pro passer with the Houston Texans. If he can return to form, that provides value for players like Cooper, and even running back Jerome Ford, who was a popular waiver wire pickup this past week.
Instead, Cooper owners are rightly upset, as a long touchdown catch was taken off the board for no reason.
