RADIO
Cooper Kupp 2018 Outlook: Better Real Life Player Than Fantasy Player
6 years agoI really like Cooper Kupp as an NFL player. He is an excellent slot receiver with high end agility and great hands (I'm giving his rookie year a pass as he was always a great pass catcher in college). The problem for fantasy in 2018 is that Kupp has almost no chance at coming anywhere near the 94 targets he saw as a rookie. Remember, in addition to Sammy Watkins being an afterthought in the offense, Robert Woods missed a quarter of the season, spiking Kupp's target count.
This year, the Rams have Brandin Cooks and, presumably, a healthy Woods. That puts Kupp as the third option in a low volume passing game where Jared Goff failed to reach 500 pass attempts in 2017. Even if we grant Goff the bump to 500 this year, it's fair to assume that Cooks and Woods combine for at least 230 targets, while another 90 go to Gurley. That leaves just 180 targets for the rest of the team, which inclues the TEs and the miscellaneous players. I would project Kupp for somewhere around 60-70 targets, making him unlikely to be a fantasy relevant player. He is someone to keep an eye on, though, as he has the talent to make an impact if Cooks or Woods were to miss a game.
