What if I told you that a man who played nine games last year finished the season as the WR23 in PPR fantasy leagues? You’d call me crazy. Then I would say: “You don’t know Cooper Kupp.”

The upside of Cooper Kupp is like no other. No matter who his quarterback is, he finds a way to get 13 receptions for a touchdown and 100 yards. Kupp enters his seventh year with the Rams and will look to be again one of the only focal points of the offense. It must be nice owning him on your fantasy team. The big concern, however, is how healthy his quarterback Matthew Stafford will be.

Matthew Stafford dealt with mainly two injuries last year, his neck and his elbow. Nothing new to the 14-year veteran. However, last year was one of the few seasons where an injury actually took him out for the season. As Stafford ages, I’m getting concerned with how quickly he will recover. The good news is that he is currently throwing in OTAs. The extra good news is that Cooper Kupp will succeed no matter who throws him the ball.

Cooper Kupp Remains a Top 5 WR

Last year Cooper Kupp averaged 22.5 fantasy points in PPR leagues, which is number one overall out of the wide receivers, although that is technically a skewed stat. Let’s focus on weekly volume instead.

Kupp proved that he is worthy of a first-round draft pick in 2022 by coming out the gates strong, scoring 31.8 points not just for Week 1, but also for Week 2. He never scored below 16 points in any of the games that he played all the way through.

These stats prove a very underrated aspect in fantasy football: Cooper Kupp doesn’t need to “warm up” at the beginning of a season. Winning early in fantasy is very important because it allows you to get a head start over your league-mates. It’s also important to win early in fantasy because that’s when (usually) everyone is healthy on your starting roster. This allows you to have a safety net if some of your starters get banged up in the middle of the season for a couple of weeks. Essentially, winning early on in the season allows you to be able to lose a couple of games in the middle of the season and still be ahead of the pack as you approach the fantasy playoffs. Cooper Kupp has scored over 17 points in Week 1 four out of six seasons.

Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number

Kupp turns 30 on June 15th. That probably scares most of you, especially if you own him in a dynasty league. Kupp is one of the few guys I will let die on my team. Don’t take that literally, but I will gladly let someone like Cooper Kupp stay on my team until he retires. He’s just too good of an asset to trade away.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably someone who is on the fence about drafting Cooper Kupp. My advice? If Justin Jefferson and Ja’marr Chase are off the board, Kupp should be next.

About the Author

Jon is the host of The Eye Test: A Fantasy Football Podcast and in 2023 became a writer for Belly Up Fantasy Sports. Jon loves covering both dynasty and redraft leagues and the various conversations that accompany them. Check out The Eye Test’s 2023 WR and RB Tiers to prepare for your upcoming draft.