Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season has barely begun. Yet, fantasy football managers are already having to navigate the always precarious injury landscape. In a move that was heavily hinted at by Sean McVay earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Rams placed star WR Cooper Kupp on IR on Saturday. Are there any other Rams WRs worth taking a shot on in fantasy?
Latest News Surrounding Cooper Kupp
According to Ian Rapaport, “The Rams are placing star WR Cooper Kupp on Injured Reserve to give him time for his hamstring to heal.” While obviously disappointing, this isn’t necessarily a surprise for football fans or fantasy managers.
Kupp strained his hamstring early in training camp. He was trending toward a Week 1 return but suffered a setback in his recovery. The nature of the setback is very strange, as Kupp saw a specialist regarding it. There are reports it could be a nerve issue.
Either way, Kupp was nowhere near being able to return to the field. As a result, the Rams opted to sideline him for the first four weeks, with the hope he is 100% ready to go in Week 5.
Are There Other Rams WRs Worth Targeting in Fantasy?
We saw a similar situation play out last season. Kupp suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 10. Allen Robinson was lost shortly after that. By the end of the season, the Rams were left with Van Jefferson and Tutu Atwell as their top two wide receivers.
It isn’t exactly a one-to-one comparison, as it was Baker Mayfield under center at that point last season. Matthew Stafford obviously provides the non-Kupp receivers with a greater chance at being fantasy-relevant.
Van Jefferson
We’ve seen Jefferson matter in spurts before. In 2021, Jefferson posted six games with at least 14 PPR fantasy points. That was alongside Kupp in his record-breaking year.
Of course, it will not help him that the Rams offense is significantly worse now. However, Jefferson has at least proven he has the ability to produce.
I would stop well short of calling Jefferson a must-start player, but he is definitely someone worth putting on your bench to see what happens. If Jefferson is seeing 7-8 targets a game, he could be worth starting in deeper leagues.
Puka Nacua
Beyond Jefferson, the only other name of interest is rookie fifth-rounder Puka Nacua. The BYU product was relatively unproductive in college and has one of the worst athletic profiles you will ever see. At the same time, he generated considerable buzz during training camp and could just be one of those guys who outperforms his athleticism.
Nacua also offers the upside of the unknown. We know what Jefferson is. We know what Demarcus Robinson and Ben Skowronek are. The latter two guys are never going to be startable fantasy assets. Jefferson could be, but his ceiling is severely capped. Nacua could end up emerging, but he is more someone to keep an eye on rather than scoop up immediately.
Tutu Atwell
The presumptive WR2 right now is probably Tutu Atwell. I will mention him because it would be a dereliction of my duty not to. However, there’s really nothing to get excited about here.
The point at which we knew Atwell was never going to matter in the NFL should’ve been when he measured in at 5’9″, 155 pounds. But hey, outliers exist, right? Well, Atwell managed to impress the Rams so much that he didn’t play a single offensive snap his entire rookie season.
As a sophomore, Atwell was more involved but still only caught 18 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown. Fantasy managers can leave him on the waiver wire.
What Is the Best Course of Action for Fantasy Managers?
When players get hurt, the initial reaction is often to look at who the next man up is. In some cases, it’s warranted. Just not this one.
MORE: Fantasy Start/Sit Optimizer
Fantasy managers looking to fill the open roster spot created by moving Kupp to IR should do so by exploring players on other NFL teams. Rather than trying to guess which Ram might step up when the answer is likely none of them, grab a handcuff running back or a backup WR from another team just to see what happens.