Is one bad, injury-plagued season enough to downgrade or even ignore Kupp? In the two seasons prior, Kupp averaged 25.3 and 22.4 PPR points per game in what were golden seasons as Matthew Stafford's unquestioned top receiver. The situation has obviously changed with Puka Nacua becoming a prominent target, but Kupp still saw 7.9 targets per game from Week 5 on, and that includes a Week 11 game he left early. Kupp also had an edge over Nacua in red-zone targets and avoided tackle rate in that span and scored just as many receiving touchdowns (five). Where Kupp lagged was in explosiveness, where Nacua clearly looked like the fresher player, which wasn't at all surprising since Nacua is roughly eight years younger and wasn't hurt like Kupp was. If Kupp can get through the preseason without any setbacks and perhaps some glowing reports, he shapes up to be among the best bounce-back candidates in Fantasy. Count on him as a WR2 worth a third-round pick in PPR redraft, and a fourth-rounder in non-PPR.
It was an up-and-down effort from Kupp in 2023, who missed the first four weeks with a hamstring issue and has now missed 13 games the past two seasons. On the plus side, Kupp posted four 100-yard efforts and five outings of 15 or more fantasy points. Unfortunately, he was also held below 40 yards in six of 12 contests, managing single-digit fantasy points in five of those games. Kupp's nose for the end zone saved fantasy managers, as the 30-year-old scored four times from Weeks 13 through 17. Obviously, Puka Nacua's emergence negatively affected Kupp's volume, though the vet remained Matthew Stafford's favorite high-value target. Kupp led the team in red zone opportunities (19, WR9). While he appears past peak value, Kupp's savvy and chemistry with Stafford are solid enough for him to deliver low-end WR2 numbers in PPR formats.
Rush Yds | Rush TD | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD |
---|---|---|---|---|
86.3 | 1056.1 | 6.4 |
Pick 3.12
Pick 3.06
Pick 3.10
Pick 5.02
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