Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions

Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions – Wide Receiver Edition

TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 25: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) prior to the first half of an NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Bucs on November 25, 2018, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – JULY 28: Cooper Kupp #18 of the Los Angeles Rams runs through a drill during the second day of Training Camp on July 28, 2019 in Irvine, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) Fantasy Football /

Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions – Wide Receiver Edition

The wait is almost over. Regular season football is so close we can almost taste it. More importantly, that means fantasy football will finally be back! With just one week of preseason action to go, we continue the “bold predictions” series, this time look at the wide receiver position.

If you haven’t yet checked out my predictions for running backs and quarterbacks, you can read them here. Check back next week for the final part of the series, tight end! Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!

1. Cooper Kupp will finish as a top-10 WR.

How This is Bold:

Rams’ wide receiver Cooper Kupp had his 2018 season cut short with a torn ACL. There are also plenty of mouths to feed in L.A. with Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, and Todd Gurley each demanding targets. Kupp is currently being taken in drafts as the WR20 (round 5.03), per Fantasy Football Calculator.

Why This Will Come True:

Rams’ WR Cooper Kupp has been a rock-solid fantasy asset since entering the league as a third-round draft pick in 2017. However last season, he was beginning to take his game to an entirely new level before a heartbreaking ACL injury cut his season short.

In fact, before the injury bug first bit him, he was fantasy’s overall WR4, averaging 21 fantasy points per game in weeks 1-5. Kupp was quickly emerging as quarterback Jared Goff’s favorite target, earning a 22 percent target share in the 7 full games he played alongside fellow wideouts Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods.

Reports on his ACL recovery have been nothing but positive, even though the Rams have opted to hold him out of preseason action. Per Jay Glazer of The Athletic, Kupp’s post-surgery athletic testing numbers for quickness and agility were better than what he turned-in at the NFL Combine in the pre-draft process. It wasn’t specified exactly what drills these were, but this is good news for the third-year wideout, nonetheless.

Los Angeles still remains one of the most high-octane offenses in the league, finishing 5th in the NFL last year with 281.7 passing yards per game. If the 26-year-old slot receiver can continue to strengthen his connection with Goff and build on his early 2018 numbers, there’s no reason why he can’t end up one of fantasy’s top-10 receivers by season’s end. That is, as long as he stays on the field.

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