For fantasy football connoisseurs things are about to get very real in the coming weeks. Knowing that the value and true potency of your team lies in mid to later rounds, why make it harder than it has to be? Keep it safe and trustworthy early and you give yourself a fighting chance out the gate. If you don’t sport one of the top two or three picks in your fantasy football draft, Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp is as safe as it gets.
Fantasy Football Outlook: Julio Jones
2022 Fantasy Football Profile: Cooper Kupp
2021 Recap
In 2021, Cooper Kupp put together the best year any receiver has ever had in the history of the game. Kupp finished first in total receiving yards and receiving yards per game (1,947 and 114.5 respectively), receiving touchdowns (16), and receptions (145). Additionally, he was the overall NFL leader in points per game and target share (31%) with 200+ targets in all 21 games played. His 191 regular-season targets led the league with 56 of those being red zone targets (also league-leading).
Kupp scored 93.2 more PPR points and 31.5 more non-PPR points than all other receivers. His expected PPR points per game (21.4) also led in 2021 while his more-than-expected PPR (+4.3) finished only behind Deebo Samuel (+6.1) and Ja’Marr Chase (+4.4). Of the 89 top-rated receivers Pro Football Focus graded with 50 or more targets, Kupp led in route-running (3.12 yards per route).
The over-speculated pre-2021 issue of whether or not the Matthew Stafford addition would make a difference was answered with an exclamation mark. Stafford not only read and reacted to defensive schemes better than anyone Kupp was used to but also had better anticipation of Kupp’s route breaks and on-the-fly adjustments. These teammates worked long and hard on timing and rapport. It definitely paid off. Kupp’s 2021 campaign was capped with accolades that included AP Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP.
2022 Outlook
Some so-called expert NFL analysts and fantasy pros alike have already begun to set the stage for a Cooper Kupp decline in 2022. You should not allow yourself to be coaxed into passing on him by their rhetoric. Sure, his numbers can decline. You read the above 2021 recap, right? Who could blame anyone for not duplicating that season? The question you want answered is, can Kupp come close to the same production?
The Rams reached the postseason at less than a hundred percent. Whatever that percentage, it dipped further when Odell Beckham Jr. went down in the Super Bowl. They went on to win the championship with an offensive firepower shortage. Of course, the dynamic Stafford-Kupp duo can come close to another huge season, and it’s rather easy to see why.
Matthew Stafford is still his quarterback, reason one.
Roughly a year ago, I wrote how the Rams would not be as efficient as needed early on but would solidify towards the season’s end. This year I write no such thing. There is no need to because the team goes into this regular season much more prepared, confident, experienced and comfortable playing together. With that comes the opening and expansion of playbooks and game plans. Both Sean McVay and Stafford have hinted this in recent weeks.
Cooper Kupp the Player
Go ahead….bet against'em if you want to. pic.twitter.com/bye9OV8UfI
— Mob Times~2021 NFL Champs ★👑𝓛𝓐 𝓡𝓪𝓶𝓼👑★ (@GridDawgs247) July 27, 2022
If you need more reasons to not doubt Kupp’s follow-up campaign to his historic season, the man himself would be reasons two and three. Kupp the player and Kupp the person are one and the same. Savvy Rams fans understand this about him as well as the team; they are men of high character. But even within this special group, players like Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp stand out. It’s not just their talent and it goes beyond there character. It’s their drive. Kupp’s drive and determination to be the best he can be, like Donald’s, is on the level of Kobe Bryant’s simplistic philosophy, the Mamba mentality. In Kobe’s words, “just trying to get better every day… better at whatever you’re doing.”
So what does Kupp do? He raises the bar for himself by expressing his quest to improve on what he’s accomplished. Say what? Listen. Even if he fails to better the numbers I’m betting he comes close, all things considered.
Consider this; linebackers Bobby Wagner and Ernest Jones solidifying the run defense, causing more opponent stops for more offensive opportunities. Also, consider a healthy Cam Akers and adding veteran receiver Allen Robinson to the mix. Robinson isn’t the blocker Robert Woods is in the setting up of plays designed mainly for Kupp but lacking that late last season didn’t stop the Super Bowl run. Robinson’s ability to snag imperfect passes should steal some of Kupp’s redzone targets but not necessarily his fantasy points.
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