Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp seemed well on his way to a terrific season in 2018 before a torn ACL knocked him out after just eight games. When he was on the field, he hauled in 40 receptions for 566 yards and five touchdowns, putting him on pace to better his rookie campaign in 2017 when he caught 62 passes for 869 yards and six scores.
So, just what should we expect from Kupp in 2019, and should Fantasy Football owners take the chance of drafting him?
Right now, it looks like Kupp will be ready for Week 1, so, assuming full health, he should be available for all 16 games next season. Of course, we don't know if he will be 100 percent early on, so that does have to be taken into consideration.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Kupp is basically the Rams' No. 3 receiver behind Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, so even though he might be capable of putting up huge numbers, he will likely be limited due to the presence of two other really good wide outs, not to mention running back Todd Gurley, who is a big threat in the passing game out of the backfield.
That means there are a couple of things working against Kupp as a top fantasy option heading into 2019, and it means that fantasy owners should approach drafting him with trepidation.
Now, I will say that these days, torn ACLs are not really debilitating, as athletes across all sports generally come back from them just fine. There are obviously some instances where the player is never the same (e.g. Derrick Rose), but the success rate is pretty high as a whole.
What compounds the fantasy issue with Kupp is the fact that he is not Jared Goff's top option, so even though the Rams are an explosive offense that involves pretty much everyone, he is not a No. 1 fantasy receiver and should probably even be treated as a No. 3 just as Los Angeles does.
Yes, I understand he was on pace for over 1,000 yards in 2018, but whether or not he actually would have reached that mark is questionable, and now, he is coming off of a serious injury.
While nothing is impossible, it seems hard to imagine Kupp reaching the 1,000-yard plateau in 2019, and a legitimate argument can be made that even 900 yards would be a phenomenal achievement, all things considered.
One thing that fantasy owners can hang their hat on when it comes to Kupp is that he is playing for a team that has a really good quarterback and a staunch offensive line, so even as a No. 3 wide out, he will see a good amount of action.
Think of the 25-year-old as a relatively medium-risk, high-reward pickup. As long as he stays healthy, he should be a knockout pick as your No. 3 receiver, but because of his injury, you do have to be somewhat cautious in putting too many eggs in the Kupp basket.
Realistically, expect Kupp to catch around 60 balls for 850 yards and seven or eight touchdowns.
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