Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp was once thought of as the top player in fantasy football. Injuries have changed that perception among managers but thereās reason to believe he could recapture some of that form. Youād gather that at least by looking at where heās being selected on average in fantasy football drafts. Here weāll take a look at Kuppās outlook for the 2023 season.
2023 Fantasy Football: Cooper Kupp Profile
Recap of 2022 season
After winning Offensive Player of the Year and setting receiving records in 2021, Kuppās campaign last season was mired by injury. He missed eight games due to an ankle sprain. Because the Rams’ season was mostly lost, the team decided to rest Kupp to keep him fresh for 2023. Despite missing almost half the year, Kupp finished with 75 catches for 812 yards and six touchdowns in nine games.
Updated Los Angeles Rams outlook
The Rams are hoping for a bounce-back season on a few fronts, including Kupp. QB Matthew Stafford missed most of 2022 while injured. Heās healthy heading into the preseason and could return to form after a career year in 2021. WR Allen Robinson was traded to the Steelers. That leaves Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Demarcus Robinson in the WR group. Los Angeles also drafted Puka Nacua out of BYU in the fifth round. Darrell Henderson is no longer on the RB depth chart. Cam Akers is expected to lead that group this season.
Best case scenario
The best case for Kupp is to stay healthy. When healthy, Kupp is a top-5 WR in fantasy and in the NFL. Kupp was on pace to finish in that group last season before injury sparked. Unfortunately, weāre already seeing Kupp nurse some ailments during camp. If he canāt shake those, it may be tough for him to make good on where heās being drafted. But staying 100% healthy, and Stafford doing the same, could mean a return to the elite group of wideouts in fantasy.
Worst case scenario
Injuries. We see Kupp miss time throughout the season or miss it entirely. Stafford going down would also be somewhat of a nightmare scenario for Kupp but the Rams did draft Stetson Bennett out of Georgia and he could be the backup. Either way, those are really the only two factors holding Kupp back. If Stafford is healthy, he should target Kupp in the 125-150 range, if not more. If itās Brett Rypien or Bennett under center, expect less production and TDs.
Prediction
Itās tough to predict how Kupp will do. If both Kupp and Stafford stay healthy, a top-5 WR finish feels plausible. That could mean somewhere in the 150-range of targets with 80-90 receptions for 1,200+ yards and double-digit TDs. It may not mean Kupp puts up first-round fantasy production. Kupp feels like heās being overdrafted because of his ceiling, which is very, very high. His floor is also way lower than many because of the injuries and where the Rams are at. Taking Kupp within the top-5 picks in your draft feels risky. Getting him toward the back end of the first or early second feels better.
