The Los Angeles Rams are officially placing star wide receiver Cooper Kupp on injured reserve to begin the 2023 NFL season, meaning he will miss at least four games as he recovers from a nagging hamstring injury. That’s a huge blow for the Rams, who have relied on Kupp’s brilliance offensively over the last few seasons. It’s also a rough situation for fantasy managers who had taken Kupp early in fantasy drafts this season.
Fortunately for managers, there’s still an opportunity to snag someone off waivers who could step up in Kupp’s absence. Here’s a look at which Rams skill players are set to have bigger roles with Kupp on IR.
The most obvious candidate to take on a bigger role is Van Jefferson, who has been with the team for the last three seasons. Jefferson is rostered in 28.8% of ESPN leagues, so he should be available for managers who have to move Kupp into an IR slot. Injuries have cut into Jefferson’s production, but he did manage 802 yards and six touchdowns in the 2021 season. He should be a strong play for the first four weeks.
Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Tyler Higbee are secondary skill players who will see some additional targets. Of the three, Higbee represents the most consistent option and also has some value as a tight end which is usually a position of scarcity in fantasy football. Higbee is rostered in 88.8% of ESPN leagues, so he’s unlikely to be available for managers who have Kupp. Atwell is rostered in 4.9% of leagues, while Skowronek is at 0.1%.
Jefferson and Higbee are the top targets to look for with Kupp out, while Atwell represents a filler play at best. It might be best to avoid this group entirely for Week 1 and see how the offense looks before attempting to add a Rams skill player to your roster.