Memo to fantasy football players venting over not having a healthy Cooper Kupp available for their teams: His quarterback on the Los Angeles Rams doesn’t want to hear about the state of your team. He cares more about a healthy Kupp.
What Did Matthew Stafford Say Regarding Cooper Kupp’s Injury?
Speaking with reporters following a Wednesday practice, Super Bowl 56 winner Matthew Stafford gave a strong reaction to those on social media and those complaining about the state of their fantasy teams in the wake of Kupp being officially ruled out for Sunday at Seattle.
“Everybody sits there and says, ‘Oh, he’s not going to be on our fantasy team.’ Like, this is a human being too who works his entire life and works more than anyone I know in the offseason. That’s tough as a human being,” Stafford said to the L.A. media.
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He also reminded people how hard it is to fight off injuries — including during a period where he took the kind of hits that he got that ultimately forced him to sit 19 games in his first two seasons.
“Injuries happen. They’re probably the worst part of the game,” Stafford said. “But he’s a strong willed guy. Obviously we support the heck out of him and whenever he’s back, we’ll be happy to have him.”
Stafford Convinced for Other Wideouts Not Named Kupp
Obviously, there’ll be a new go-to wide receiver for Stafford when the Rams kick off the season.
Currently, the available options post Kupp are: Fourth-year veteran Van Jefferson, third-year pro Tutu Atwell, fellow third-year pro and captain Ben Skowronek, longtime tight end Tyler Higbee, and newcomer Puka Nacua.
It’s still a group Stafford has seen before minus the rookie from BYU (Nacua). So, on his end, there’s no wholesale changes he needs to make post-Kupp.
“I try to play the game as cleanly as I can and just throw the ball wherever the coverage dictates,” Stafford explained.
He does agree that Kupp plays an integral part in the Rams’ scheme, saying, “No question about it, from a skills standpoint, there’s a lot of stuff that goes through Cooper. He may be designed to be the No. 1 or if we get a certain pressure, we’re just going to get this play and let him go do what he does best.”
Yet, even in his absence, Kupp’s absence doesn’t alter the Rams’ plans.
“But my job doesn’t change much. It’s go out and throw the ball where it’s supposed to be thrown. And let those guys do what they do because we have some talented guys on the outside who can make plays both down the field and after the catch. So I’m excited,” Stafford said.