Entering the last week of August, Cooper Kupp appeared firmly on his way to being ready for a Week 1 divisional clash against the Seattle Seahawks, as his previously balky hamstring was firmly trending back to full strength.
Everything changed August 31 when it was announced Kupp had experienced a setback, and had subsequently been ruled out for the regular-season opener, at minimum. Should fantasy football managers consider adding the promising Tutu Atwell, who, at least for Week 1, slots into the No. 2 receiver role for the Los Angeles Rams?
Should Tutu Atwell Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 1?
Atwell only put a fumble and 141 return yards on the stat sheet as a rookie second-round pick in 2021. However, the speedy Louisville product took a step forward in 2022 with an 18-298-1 line across 13 games, numbers he supplemented with nine carries for 34 yards and another score.
Even when Kupp was projected to be available, Atwell was expected to have at least a slight increase in his role as a downfield threat and occasional candidate for jet sweeps and other designed runs in 2023.
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Kupp’s absence –- which head coach Sean McVay conceded Friday could lead to a short-term injured reserve stint –- certainly changes the equation. However, to what degree remains to be seen.
Fantasy managers in 12-team and larger leagues would do well to grab Atwell off the wire ahead of Week 1, when he could become increasingly more appealing while facing a Seahawks secondary that will still be missing Jamal Adams (quadriceps) to open the season.
However, there are a couple of potential obstacles to snaps in the form of the more accomplished, experienced Ben Skowronek and Demarcus Robinson that arguably make Atwell best suited for a deeper-league pickup at the moment.
When Kupp went down for the season with an ankle injury after three Week 10 snaps in in 2022, Skowronek essentially stepped into his teammate’s mid-range role. While Skowronek only outpaced Atwell by three routes run (115-112) and a relatively modest 20 snaps (297-277) over the remainder of the season, he was seemingly more of a fit as a complement for Van Jefferson’s downfield exploits.
Meanwhile, Robinson naturally isn’t as familiar with McVay’s offense as Atwell or Skowronek as an offseason arrival. However, as a veteran going into his eighth season with 193 career catches, the 2016 fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, could certainly work his way into a fair share of playing time and targets after coming off a new personal-best 48 receptions in Baltimore last season.
There’s no question Atwell carries plenty of big-play upside due to his speed. Yet, McVay may quickly determine Skowronek’s or Robinson’s size/catch radius complements new No. 1 receiver Jefferson, who’s a downfield threat himself, better than the diminutive 5’9″, 165-pound Atwell, which could lead the speedster to going back to a No. 3 role.