Omar Cooper — Week 1: One Catch, Thirty Yards, and an Ankle
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Cooper's first NFL target was third and nine at the Tennessee thirty-four on the opening drive, a short throw he turned into thirty yards to the four, and it was his last: the Jets listed him questionable with an ankle injury and later ruled him out, per Mike Moraitis at The Sporting News. The one catch was worth plus three point six expected points and eleven points of win probability, the largest swing on any pass or run either team ran, in a 23–10 win over the Titans.
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The full episode, in writing
One play is Omar Cooper's whole first game, and it was the biggest play of the afternoon. Third and nine at the Tennessee 34, 12 10 left in the first quarter, no score: Geno Smith short left to Cooper, four yards in the air, and he carried it to the four. 30 yards, first down, and two plays later Kenyon Sadiq scored. That catch was worth +3.6 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 11.2 points of win probability, which is the chance of winning before and after the play. No pass or run by either team moved the win probability more.
He was not thrown to again. The play-by-play carries no injury note on him, but the reporting does: the Jets announced Cooper was questionable to return with an ankle injury and later downgraded him to out, per Mike Moraitis at The Sporting News. That is the whole of what is known here, and it carries no timeline.
What the passing game did after he left is the football in this episode. Smith threw 24 times: seven to Garrett Wilson, three each to Adonai Mitchell, Mason Taylor and Sadiq, two to Breece Hall, one each to Cooper, Braelon Allen, Arian Smith, Isaiah Williams and Jeremy Ruckert, and one with no intended receiver. Mitchell's three catches went for 60 yards, including a 40-yarder on first and 20 in the third that set up Hall's touchdown, and his three targets came out at +3.1 expected points. Nine of the 24 throws came after halftime, and New York ran 32 times to its backs.
Back in June the preview's read on Cooper was the price the Jets paid for him — two picks to move up to thirtieth, the top receiver on an undefeated Indiana team, and the team's most impressive rookie of the spring per ESPN's Rich Cimini. Sunday gave that read one target and one 30-yard catch on third down, which is the best possible ratio and the smallest possible sample. What comes next depends on the ankle, and this show will not guess. New York is home to the Packers on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
When Omar Cooper's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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