NFL Super Wild Card Weekend sees its capstone game—the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Minnesota Vikings—head to Glendale, Arizona for Monday Night Football. The California wildfires have made a home game for the Rams at SoFi untenable, and have wreaked far worse damage, physically and spiritually, to so many people in the affected areas. Still, the playoffs roll on, and everyone’s looking for best prop bets for Justin Jefferson, Puka Nacua, Aaron Jones, Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp, etc.
(Aside: If you’re whatsoever in a position and motivated, I encourage you to donate to the first responders and affected families in LA. Here’s a comprehensive list of places to donate and specific needs for each organization, courtesy of ABC7 News Los Angeles. Back to football.)
In what might be Kupp’s last game as a Ram, given that the financial weight of his contract has outpaced his ability to perform up to its standards—we’re going to evaluate all his markets and see what might be the best way to maximize returns if placing a wager on no. ten for the home team.
Best Cooper Kupp prop bet for Rams vs. Vikings
The (Potential) Last Dance Parlay: Cooper Kupp 5+ receptions / o49.5 receiving yards
We all know that the Rams have mostly been using Cooper Kupp as a blocker in the run game, and a pre-snap motion distractor in the passing game. I still can’t get over this insight from NFL Next Gen Stats about just how much the Rams have asked Kupp to do to help Stafford read defenses before the ball’s even hiked:
And, of course, he had another full month to bloat that pre-snap motion yardage (except for when he sat in Week 18), so it’s no surprise he finished the season with the most pre-snap motion yardage among qualifying wideouts by a long shot. I really can’t get over the despite missing four game of it all.
Listen—I know Cooper Kupp, in Nolan parlance, lived long enough to see him become a villain to the greater fantasy football and sports gaming communities this December. It’s a shame, seeing as this is likely—barring offering the team some extreme hometown discount—one of the final games, if not the final, Kupp will wear the royal and blue. But nagging lower-body injuries and age have simply caught up to this hall-of-fame route-runner, and the cliff came precipitously.
But let’s level-set: in Weeks 15 and 16—otherwise known as the first round(s) of the fantasy football playoffs, depending on season-long league setttings—Kupp posted three receptions on six targets for 24 yards and no touchdowns. That’s across both games. And, in that two-week span, the sports gaming public has utterly lost faith in him.
No matter. Not us. Last time Kupp faced the Vikings—which, if you recall, was in Puka Nacua’s first game back from his offseason knee ailment—he snagged five balls for 51 yards and a touchdown. That’d just clear us to hit the (potential) last dance parlay.
Bottom Line
Last chance saloon for Cooper Kupp’s post-2021 legacy, unfortunately. Stars show up in big moments. Not only does his team need him, but so, too, does the city of LA.
Cooper Kupp goes vintage tonight.
Best bet: Cooper Kupp 5+ receptions / o49.5 receiving yards
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and cannot access any non-public information.
