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: