Each week during the 2022 NFL season, Field Yates will help fantasy football managers by providing the precise intel needed on the most important, fantasy-relevant storylines. Field's Rolodex is vast; he'll dial up whomever he needs. This is the Field Pass.
The face of fantasy football over the past two seasons has been Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, whose meteoric rise in 2021 was so good that many presumed there was simply no way it could carry over into 2022.
Last season, Kupp led all players in catches (145), receiving yards (1,947), receiving touchdowns (16), total fantasy points (439.5) and fantasy points per game (25.7). He had double-digit fantasy points in every game, finished seventh or better among wide receivers in 11 of his 17 games and scored at least 21.3 fantasy points in each of the final six weeks of the regular season. He performed at his best in the fantasy playoffs.
Jaw-dropping stuff. The kind that surely could not have been replicated, right?
Well, entering Week 10 of this season, Kupp had 72 catches for 813 yards and six touchdowns, putting him on pace for more catches (153), 1,728 receiving yards and nearly 13 touchdowns, while averaging 24.9 fantasy points per game. The difference between 2022 Kupp and 2021 Kupp was negligible, as he was once again the most unstoppable force in fantasy, posting more than 15 fantasy points in every game this season and more than 22 in six of eight games.
And then came Week 10, when things went from bad to downright terrible: Kupp posted just three catches for minus-1 yard receiving as the Rams' offense became borderline nonfunctional with backup quarterback John Wolford filling in for the injured Matthew Stafford. Then, Kupp suffered an ankle injury late in the game that landed him on injured reserve, meaning he'll be out for at least four games.
Any player injury is a significant bummer in sports, as these athletes put everything they have into their profession.
When a star player goes down, two of the questions we ask from a fantasy analysis perspective are:
One, is there a "next player up" on that player's team who is expected to fill the void? Two, if the answer to the first question is no, what are the options elsewhere in the league?
In Kupp's case, the answer to question one is clear: The Rams do not have a player who comes close to Kupp's ability and receiver depth has been an issue throughout the season. Allen Robinson II has been their second-best wide receiver, but he currently ranks 71st in the NFL in receptions (29) and 85th in receiving yards (292).
But there is an opportunity for players to pick up some slack, as Kupp has commanded a 30.9% target share this season, third-best in the NFL.
Robinson seems the likeliest to crack fantasy lineups given his role before Kupp injury, as he's played 91.2% of the snaps. I have concerns about his overall ability since he's not a separation king or elite route runner like Kupp. He probably won't take over Kupp's role. L.A. figures to rely more on Ben Skowronek and Van Jefferson, among others, but Robinson is the highest-ranked Rams wideout for me this week at WR28. Tight end Tyler Higbee also gets a boost and hopefully can revert to the form we saw earlier this season.
As far as options outside of the Rams' offense, the waiver wire did offer a few useful names for depth purposes:
Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones has emerged as the clear-cut No. 2 pass-catcher in their offense, posting more than 11 fantasy points in five of his past six games.
We'll dive deeper into Chiefs wideout Kadarius Toney later, but the electric talent is too good to ignore.
Packers rookie wideout Christian Watson splashed onto the scene with three touchdowns in Week 10, as his speed makes him an intriguing upside addition.
Meanwhile, veteran wideout Jarvis Landry is getting healthier and the Saints are in serious need of extra offensive juice.
The options are all imperfect, but such is the state of trying to replace a player of Kupp's impact.
Let's dive into other big storylines for our Week 11 Field Pass.
Jonathan Taylor: That's more like it
The consensus No. 1 pick in fantasy football drafts prior to the season was Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, as he came off an incredible 2021 season and carried that momentum through Week 1 when he posted 31 rushes, 161 yards, a TD and four catches for good measure.
Things turned immediately, as Taylor put up three straight substandard fantasy efforts of 7.3, 12.1 and 3.3 points before missing three of the next four games with an ankle injury.
Week 10 looked like the 2021 version of JT, as he raced for 147 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, posting 24.3 fantasy points -- more than any other running back for the week.
So, what changed?
Let's start with the obvious: Taylor was healthy and available, as he played 60 of 64 snaps (93.8%) and handled 85.7% of the Colts' running back touches, the second-highest mark in a game this season. In Weeks 7 and 8, Taylor -- still dealing with the ankle injury -- handled 60.7% and then 66.7% of the backfield touches for Indy, a mark well below the standard set last season.
While Taylor is an excellent pass-catcher, it wasn't what unlocked his fantasy greatness last season (he had 40 catches) and not what unlocked his dominant Sunday in Week 10 (he had just two catches).
Can Taylor maintain this level going forward?
My forecast is yes. My reasons for optimism are straightforward:
• Taylor is back to full strength. At full strength, JT is one of the best players in football.
• Nyheim Hines was traded to Buffalo. While never a major part of the offense, it's one less mouth to feed.
• The offensive line is better than it has showed. Interim head coach Jeff Saturday has already talked about how he challenged the line to be better. It answered the call last week and I believe it will be more consistent.
• Matt Ryan is under center. The offense with Sam Ehlinger posed a minimal threat passing. Teams could just load up on the ground game.
• The schedule: The Colts face just one defense the rest of the season that ranks inside the top 15 in terms of rushing yards allowed.
Good days are ahead for JT.
Newcomers provide a boost for Kansas City
We may be witnessing a changing of the guard in Kansas City, as rookie running back Isiah Pacheco saw his playing time spike to 56% of the snaps in Week 10, while Clyde Edwards-Helaire played a grand total of four of the 63 snaps in the Chiefs' win over the Jaguars.
CEH was showing signs of diminishing value after a scorching start, as he had just six and four rushes in the Chiefs' prior two games before having zero total touches in Week 10. If you need a roster spot, CEH can be waived.
As for Pacheco, while the 16 carries in Week 10 were encouraging, what remains to be seen is if he will get involved in the passing game on a consistent basis. He has a total of three catches this season, with Jerick McKinnon as the lone back we expect to catch passes each week.
Pacheco is unquestionably a player to add on waivers, but his ceiling is tapped if the passing game utilization does not come to life. He's my RB28 for Week 11, one spot behind McKinnon.
The player who also caught our attention in Week 10 was wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who found the end zone for the first time in his career while catching four of five targets for 57 yards, also adding two rushes for 33 yards.
While the Chiefs unquestionably will involve Toney more by the week as he increases his knowledge of the offense and develops more chemistry with Patrick Mahomes, they also may need him even more than expected due to JuJu Smith-Schuster being placed in concussion protocol in Week 10.
After Smith-Schuster left the game Sunday, Justin Watson led the Chiefs in routes run among receivers with 17 (he had run just three prior to that), so Toney is not expected to take over Smith-Schuster's role. Rather, potentially being down one more playmaker heightens the need for others to step up.
Toney is another waiver wire add this week and presents one of the most intriguing rolls of the dice in all of fantasy: If he gets somewhere between six to eight opportunities per week, there's a strong case that he belongs right in the flex conversation because of his simply absurd ability. It's too soon to know for certain whether that will be the case, but it feels like the Chiefs might have some legit plans for their newest offensive add.
Odds and ends
One of the hardest players in the league to evaluate the fantasy stock of right now is Lions running back D'Andre Swift.
Swift returned from ankle and shoulder injuries three games ago in Week 8, playing 55% of the snaps and seeing five carries plus five targets in his return. He found the end zone and wound up as a top-20 play, seemingly trending up in future weeks.
Head coach Dan Campbell then made clear the team needed to pull back on Swift's work for load management purposes, as he played a grand total of nine snaps in Week 9. Swift was then a full participant in practice on Friday of Week 10 -- for the first time in a while -- and off the injury report. Yet, in the game Sunday in Chicago, Swift saw his playing time rise from nine snaps to ... 18.
On the one hand, that meant Swift's snaps doubled from one week to the next. On the other, this may be part of a bigger picture approach for Detroit that will persist all season. Swift is a valuable part of the team's future and Jamaal Williams is an extremely capable back with whom he shares duties. There was hope in the preseason that Swift could resemble the player we saw prior to his injury late in 2021. At that time, he led all backs in catches and played 63% or more of the snaps in nine of 11 games.
For now, Swift is a low-end RB2 consideration for me, with identical value to his teammate Williams.
How Mitchell's return impacts CMC's value
The 49ers played their first game in Week 10 with Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell on the field, as the latter returned from an early season knee injury that -- at least in part -- played a role in the team's pursuit of McCaffrey.
Not only did Mitchell play a real role for San Francisco, he actually handled 18 rushing attempts on Sunday against the Chargers, four more than CMC. McCaffrey held a decided edge in both percentage of snaps played and targets (he had six, while Mitchell had two), but Mitchell's role was prominent enough to register with us.
Mitchell remains a player I'd prefer to play only in deeper leagues or in non-PPR formats, but he's an elite insurance policy to have in case something happens to CMC.
For McCaffrey's value, this represents a slight discount on his upside. While he of course remains a lock-it-in starter with elite play every Sunday, part of what made his value so special in Carolina -- and what we saw in Week 8 (CMC's first game with the 49ers after an actual week of practice) -- was big-time volume: He had 18 of San Francisco's 23 carries that week to go along with nine targets (plus a touchdown pass), in line with his Carolina days.
Tight end getting even thinner
Tight end is a razor-thin position in general, and two of the five top options are dealing with major injuries. Zach Ertz (knee) is out for the season and Dallas Goedert (shoulder) is headed for a prolonged absence.
Managers wondering where to turn have a few options to consider:
• Cole Kmet, Bears: Kmet has been on fire as Justin Fields has starred of late, scoring five touchdowns in his past three games and posting a team-high 13 targets over the past two contests.
• Foster Moreau, Raiders: Darren Waller will miss at least three more games with Moreau taking on a full-time role in his absence. He has 23 targets over his past four games.
• Greg Dulcich, Broncos: While Dulcich laid an egg in Week 10, he had at least 10 fantasy points in each of the first three games of his career.
• Trey McBride, Cardinals: McBride should assume some of Ertz's work. The second-round pick out of Colorado State won the Mackey Award as the best tight end in college football last season.
In a league where every year we find ourselves navigating this path of trying to find tight ends when the demand dramatically outweighs the supply, the lesson would appear to be quite simple: It's never too early to draft Travis Kelce.