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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp had a season to remember in 2021. Kupp broke the NFL’s all-time record in yards from scrimmage as Matthew Stafford’s go-to target. He capitalized on that performance to win the Offensive Player of the Year award. But all those accolades paled in comparison to helping lead the Rams to a Super Bowl win, where he was named the Super Bowl MVP.
It is a tall task to replicate a historic season like Kupp had last year but the opportunity lies ahead. As Los Angeles looks to run it back and defend their Super Bowl title expect Kupp to remain the spark that fuels the Rams’ high-powered offense. That bodes well as we look towards his fantasy potential for 2022.
2021 season statistics & fantasy finish
Receiving: Kupp finished with 145 receptions on 191 targets for 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. He averaged 114.5 receiving yards per game and 13.4 yards per reception.
Fantasy: Unsurprisingly Kupp finished as the top wide receiver in all of fantasy. He finished with 439.5 points in PPR scoring and 294.5 points in standard scoring, with averages of 25.9 and 17.3 points per game in each scoring format respectively.
Rams offseason moves
Los Angeles saw Von Miller depart in free agency to join the Buffalo Bills, while the Rams also made a few changes to their receiving corps. They traded Robert Woods to the Titans for a 2023 sixth-round pick. To help replace Woods and add depth behind Kupp, the Rams agreed to a three-year deal with wide-receiver Allen Robinson. Los Angeles also reinforced their defense by signing linebacker Bobby Wagner to a five-year deal. To solidify their plan to run it back in 2022, the Rams agreed to new contracts with both Aaron Donald and Kupp.
2022 best-case scenario
It’s hard to imagine a better scenario than Kupp repeating the same type of production that we saw from him in 2021, and there’s a great likelihood that it proves to be a reality. The addition of Robinson to the receiving corps may prove to be a factor as he’ll command targets, but it’s clear that Kupp is far and away Stafford’s go-to target. So much of the offense runs through Kupp and as headlined by his record-breaking performance last season, Kupp is elite in accumulating yards after the catch. Another finish as the top receiver in fantasy would be ideal for fantasy owners and in all reality, it is not out of the question.
2022 worst-case scenario
Injuries of course will always be a nightmare situation as we saw Kupp suffer a torn ACL that knocked him out of the Rams’ first Super Bowl appearance. Aside from that scenario, there is a small chance that Robinson commands a significant amount of targets away from Kupp. Robinson is a talented receiver and if he proves more than capable of being a go-to target for Stafford then a top overall finish for Kupp may not be in the cards for 2022.
2022 prediction
Even with Robinson being added to the mix I still believe that Kupp is far and away the Rams’ best offensive weapon, and he is clearly Stafford’s go-to option. He has some noteworthy competition among his fellow receivers but given how much he’s used in the Rams’ offense it’s hard to imagine Kupp not repeating as the top-scoring receiver in fantasy. His ceiling is a top overall finish and his floor is top-five. That’s a perfect situation to be in if you have Kupp on your fantasy roster in 2022.