Rizzla discusses Cooper Kupp tearing his ACL and touches on the fantasy context for each player affected by this news.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, star Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the regular season.
To no one's surprise, Rams' WR Cooper Kupp tore his ACL and is out for the season, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 12, 2018
This is a huge blow to a Los Angeles Rams team that appeared to be well on its way to the NFC championship game. The Rams still have a path ahead of them but lose some much needed firepower in a conference chalk full of it.
First on the team in touchdowns despite missing two contests Cooper Kupp is a focal part of the Rams offense and is someone Jared Goff has come to lean on time and time again.
His loss cannot be understated for this offense and its ability to consistently move the ball. Luckily for the Rams and Rams fans they still have three pro bowl level talents on offense for Jared Goff to lean on, softening what could otherwise be a serious blow to their Super Bowl aspirations.
Fantasy Context:
Cooper Kupp leads the Rams receivers in fantasy points per game and with him in the slot flanked by Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, represents one of the, if not the most prolific and threatening wide receiver trios in the entire NFL. Kupp may see some of his short area explosiveness sapped upon his return from his ACL injury and we can only hope one of the brightest young slots in the league can return to his pre-injury form down the line. As far as dynasty leagues are concerned Kupp is still a low end WR2 due to his proven week to week upside but expectations need to be tempered, especially for fantasy GM’s who may be attempting to buy low.
Todd Gurley is not affected by this news. Normally a team losing one of its biggest playmakers at the wide receiver position would affect the teams running back but given that Kupp is a slot receiver and is arguably only the teams third best receiver, that is not the case here. Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks are just as talented as Kupp but the main thing here is that Cooks remains healthy and he is the wideout that demands safety help and prevents teams from stacking the box against the run. Gurley remains the top overall running back.
Jared Goff loses a bit of his fantasy upside with this news. Goff remains a matchup based QB1 but the downgrade from Kupp to Josh Reynolds is a massive one which lowers Goff’s weekly fantasy floor. If you play in a redraft league that has not seen its trade deadline pass (having deadline before end of byes is short sighted) put out some feelers to see what you may be able to get in return for Goff. For dynasty league purposes Goff’s fantasy value remains intact.
Robert Woods gets a nice fantasy boost with this news. Woods is now in line to see a lot more work out of the slot which is a boon to his potential weekly upside and should also see more targets as a result of 7.8 targets per game now being up for grabs. Woods remains an upside WR2 who should definitely see some WR1 finishes down the stretch.
Brandin Cooks is in line to absorb some of Kupp’s 7.8 targets per game which is a huge boost for the wide receivers value as he already paces the Rams in yards per game and yards per reception. In this case a higher volume will ultimately lead to higher fantasy production catapulting Cooks into the weekly WR1 conversation. While he has only found the end zone three times this season Cooks is currently the WR16 and will push to finish among the top twelve for rest of season purposes.
Josh Reynolds is fantasy relevant again. While he underwhelmed in his prior fill in for Kupp, Reynolds is being given a high leverage role on one of the best offenses in the league and boasts fantasy relevance because of it. Reynolds is a solid talent in his own right who could and should come into his own as he continues to get reps with the first team. If Reynolds gets up to speed and can become a reliable target he could flirt with WR3 value just in time for the fantasy playoffs. A must add in deeper leagues Reynolds has a chasm in place of his fantasy floor but is worth a flier in custom formats, especially with the bye weeks and the resulting roster crunches almost over.
