Cooper Kupp vs. DK Metcalf - Who Should I Draft in 2024 Fantasy Football?

Should fantasy football players draft DK Metcalf or Cooper Kupp during their 2024 fantasy drafts? Lance Fernandez examines the case for both wide receivers.

Amid the noise about escalating wide receiver salaries this offseason, Cooper Kupp, and DK Metcalf are two players who have taken a back seat to wideouts who recently received contract extensions. However, it doesn’t mean they are no longer among the best.

Instead, they’ve been exceptional enough to earn contract extensions in previous years. Kupp earned a three-year, $80.1 million contract extension after helping the Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals. That deal keeps him under contract with the Rams until 2026.

Meanwhile, Metcalf signed a three-year, $72 million extension in July 2022, extending his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks until 2025. But who among them is the better option in fantasy football for the 2024 NFL season?

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Kupp’s Health Issues Since Winning OPOY

The former Eastern Washington standout played on a different level during the 2021 NFL season. He won 70 percent of the votes for NFL Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and touchdowns (16).

But since that campaign, which earned him Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors, he has missed 13 games in the last two seasons. A high-ankle sprain limited Kupp to nine games during the 2022 season. Worst yet, his condition had the Rams finish at 5-12 a year after winning the Super Bowl.

I don’t think Cooper Kupp was ever fully healthy last year.

With an ADP of WR20 right now he’s on my value watch list.
pic.twitter.com/E4Kkk2kYci

— Drew Davenport (@DrewDavenportFF) June 5, 2024

The limited playing also meant that Kupp didn’t reach 1,000 receiving yards after 2021. While his numbers were respectable (812 yards in 2022 and 737 in 2023), they were nowhere comparable to that fantastic season.

DK Metcalf: A Low-Key Model of Consistency

Since joining the Seahawks in 2019, Metcalf hasn’t gone below 900 yards and six touchdowns in a season. He had 1,000-yard seasons in three of the last four years, including his career-high 1,303 yards in 2020.

6 Receptions
134 Receiving Yards
3 Touchdowns

& this 73 yard touchdown. DK Metcalf was carrying the Seahawks in Dallas.

WR1 😤pic.twitter.com/JiWk0qz3j1

— Seattle ON Tap (@SeattleONTap) June 9, 2024

Staying healthy is one of Metcalf’s keys to success. He missed only one game in five seasons, Seattle’s 2023 Week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Despite sitting out that game due to rib and hip injuries, Metcalf had 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns. It’s also his first season without registering a fumble.

Prioritize DK Metcalf Over Cooper Kupp in Fantasy Football

Kupp is still a productive player. However, concerns about his health and Puka Nacua’s emergence will take some opportunities off him. Proceed with caution with Kupp as a WR2 or a high-end WR3.

Metcalf should get more preference between the two, even though the Seahawks have Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Regardless of who the Seahawks' starting quarterback will be (Geno Smith or Sam Howell), Metcalf will still get the first look during pass plays. If not, he's an explosive playmaker who can rack up fantasy points with average volume.

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