Jets Rookie Omar Cooper Jr. Hits IR With Ankle Sprain, Out 4 Weeks
The 30th overall pick lasted just five offensive snaps before an ankle sprain in Week 1. Earliest return is Week 6 at New England.
Cooper's IR stint funnels even more volume to the WR1.
- Cooper: 30th overall pick in 2026 draft
- Injured on 1st career touch, 5th offensive snap
- Out Weeks 2-5, eligible to return Week 6
- Wilson: 6 rec, 79 yds in Week 1 opener
- Isaiah Williams played 60% of snaps in Week 1
Omar Cooper Jr.'s rookie season has hit its first wall before it really got going. The Jets are placing the 30th overall pick on injured reserve with the ankle sprain he suffered in Week 1, per reports, which sidelines him for at least four games and pushes his earliest possible return to Week 6 in New England.
The cruel part: Cooper got hurt on a 30-yard catch-and-run that was the first touch of his NFL career, on just his fifth offensive snap of the Jets' Week 1 win over Tennessee. He'd climbed the depth chart through the preseason and looked ready to make noise. Instead he'll watch home games against Green Bay and Cleveland and road trips to Detroit and Chicago from the sideline.
The one silver lining is timing. NFL Media indicates Cooper should be back "shortly," so that Week 6 date against the Patriots looks realistic rather than optimistic. For a four-game absence, that's about as clean as an IR stint gets.
Who Absorbs the Targets
This was never Cooper's offense to begin with, and now it's even less of one. Garrett Wilson remains the clear alpha after opening with six catches for 79 yards, and he ranks #196 overall (#60 at receiver) in our current rankings — a number weighed down by an injury-shortened 2025 (36 rec, 395 yards, 4 TD, 100 PPR points across seven games). With Cooper out, Wilson's target share only climbs.
AD Mitchell (3 catches, 60 yards in the opener) and slot man Isaiah Williams also stand to benefit. Williams already played 60% of the snaps in Week 1 and comes in at #302 overall (#108 at WR); his last five games ran +4.2 fantasy points above his season average. Rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who added three grabs and a rushing score, is another mouth to feed in an offense suddenly short one first-rounder.
Fantasy verdict: this is a straightforward buy-low window on Garrett Wilson if a nervous manager is souring on the Jets' passing game — the volume is about to spike. Isaiah Williams becomes a deep-league dart throw in PPR formats given the extra slot work, but he's a stash more than a start. And Cooper himself? Don't cut him in deeper leagues if you have a spare IR slot; a Week 6 return with a clean role waiting is worth the wait.
