It’s been a rough start to the season for the Los Angeles Rams. After losing Puka Nacua in Week 1, they lost Cooper Kupp in Week 2. There may be light at the end of the tunnel, though. Both wide receivers are on the mend. When will Kupp be back, and what does this mean for fantasy football managers?
The Latest on Cooper Kupp’s Ankle Injury
Kupp has been out since he sprained his ankle in Week 2. It came just one week after Nacua aggravated his knee injury in Week 1. Just like that, the Rams were down their top two wide receivers.
The Rams declined to place Kupp on IR despite the likelihood he would be out at least four games, but that had more to do with the excessive number of players they had injured than anything else. Kupp was always expected to return before Nacua, but, evidently, the two are returning at the same time.
Kupp was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and while he was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Rams ultimately decided to hold him out.
#Rams WR Cooper Kupp is expected to return on Thursday night vs the Vikings after missing the last four games, coach McVay confirmed. pic.twitter.com/OhFX77xnUV
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 20, 2024
However, after Sunday’s game, Rams head coach Sean McVay seemed optimistic that Kupp will play in Week 8 when Los Angeles faces the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football.
“He was close,” McVay said of Kupp. “But ultimately — you guys heard me talk about it throughout the course of the week — it was about return to performance, not necessarily return to play. And, hopefully, Thursday will represent that for us.”
On Wednesday, Kupp practiced in full. He will play Thursday night against the Vikings.
Additionally, Nacua will too, who was activated from IR despite just two limited practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. Matthew Stafford will have his top two weapons for the first time since Week 1.
Kupp’s Fantasy Outlook
I would caution fantasy managers against starting Nacua, who is expected to be limited in his return from a knee injury. As for Kupp, he is all systems go. Get him into lineups immediately.
There are plenty of things to overthink in this fantasy world of ours, but this simply isn’t one of them. After all, this is a man who saw 21 targets in a game this season.
If the team is confident enough to bring him back, they are doing so knowing where the ball is likely to be headed 30-35% of the time.
While Kupp and Nacua have been out, rookie sixth-rounder Jordan Whittington and veteran Tutu Atwell have been the only Rams WRs who have been useful in fantasy. However, Whittington is currently dealing with a shoulder injury he sustained in the waning minutes prior to the Rams’ bye week. He is out this week. With both Kupp and Nacua back, both Whittington and Atwell can be dropped, if necessary.