After a more than forgettable 2022 season on a Los Angeles Rams team that was having trouble running it back, Cooper Kupp returns to the field rested, rejuvenated, and ready to go. With some injury history amid his incredible tenure in the NFL, how do Kupp’s injuries affect his fantasy football potential?
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What Happened to Cooper Kupp?
The winner of the 2021 Triple Crown and Super Bowl MVP, Kupp has one of the most prolific seasons of an NFL WR ever. He was WR1 with almost 2,000 receiving yards. He had 16 TDs and 145 receptions.
Although 2021 was a banner season of Kupp’s six seasons in the NFL, he has only played the entire year in two of the six. The highest fantasy finish of a year where he didn’t play the full slate of games? It was in 2022 when he finished as WR24, only playing nine games.
Last season, during Week 10, Kupp suffered a high ankle sprain. There was talk that he could have returned to play at the end of the season, but the Rams were out of the playoff hunt, and there was no point in risking re-injury. He finished the season with just over 800 yards receiving and six TDs.
Kupp reported to training camp fully recovered from his ankle sprain this year, but early in August, he suffered a hamstring tweak while running drills. Sean McVay was classically cagey, saying, “It’s really day to day. I don’t think it’s anything to be overly concerned with, but [we] want to be able to be smart with him, and I’m hopeful to get him back out here sooner than later.”
McVay was correct, and Kupp returned to practice this week, and he seems to be functioning at full speed. QB Matt Stafford was ecstatic to see his No. 1 target back on the field.
“I thought Coop looked great,” Stafford said after practice. “Just happy to see him running around, smiling, having fun playing ball again.”
Cooper Kupp back at practice pic.twitter.com/52GYutlSBN
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 21, 2023
What Are Los Angeles’ Options If Kupp Misses Time?
If, for some reason, Kupp’s hamstring acts up again, which it always can for WRs who value explosiveness more than anything, the depth chart is less than ideal.
Behind Kupp, there is no clear No. 2 pass catcher, with Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, and a recent transplant from the Baltimore Ravens, Demarcus Robinson, rounding out the room.
MORE: 2023 Dynasty WR Rankings
The Rams also drafted Rookie Puka Nacua, who is impressing at camp. The targets would be split up among the receivers if Kupp had to miss a game, with none of them getting the lion’s share.
TE Tyler Higbee might actually benefit the most if Kupp misses time in the future. Higbee has the most experience with the team and has finished as TE18 or better every year for the last four seasons. Last season, of the games that Kupp missed, he had three games as TE10 or better.
What Does This Mean for Kupp’s Fantasy Ranking?
This injury news does little to affect Kupp’s fantasy ranking going into 2023. Currently, he is the WR3 in our PFN Consensus Rankings. There is no need to move him down your rankings; conversely, if someone in your league gets a little nervous with any Kupp injury news, you could attempt to buy the dip.