Fantasy Fallout: Cooper Kupp Injury Adds to the Torment in Tinseltown

Between the Rams and Chargers, the City of Angels has been devilish to fantasy managers this season.

The weather is turning around most of the country. It’s time to break out those heavy jackets and gloves. Winter is coming. This is the time of year when many folks living in colder U.S. climates long for the warmth of places like sunny Southern California. Unless, of course, you play fantasy football. If you are a fantasy manager relying on players in Los Angeles, winter isn’t coming.

Winter is here.

In 2022, Los Angeles has been hell on Earth for fantasy managers. The latest development has been the demise of Cooper Kupp. Perhaps the most valuable fantasy player over the past season-and-a-half, the Rams receiver had just three catches for minus-1 yard in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals. Kupp has been highly productive all season despite his team’s season-long struggles, but this was his worst stat line in five years. But the real bad news is that Kupp left the game with an ankle injury, and it sounds like he may miss some playing time.

Cooper Kupp’s status is in question after suffering an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals :: Robert Hanashiro/USA Today Sports

The Kupp news is just the latest in a string of fantasy catastrophes for just about all fantasy players for both the Rams and Chargers. Just go down the line:

Rams

Matthew Stafford: After averaging 287 passing yards per game and throwing 41 TD passes in his first year in Los Angeles, Stafford is averaging 241 yards per game this season and is on pace to finish with 17 TD passes.

Cam Akers: After returning so quickly from an Achilles injury at the end of last season, fantasy managers expected big things from Akers in ’22. It’s been exactly the opposite. Akers has been completely irrelevant. Some thought Akers’s struggles would open the door for Darrell Henderson, but he’s also disappointed.

Allen Robinson: Raise your hand if you thought Robinson was due for a big season playing with an established QB for the first time in years. He’s got 292 yards and two TDs on the year.

Chargers

Justin Herbert: Herbert’s struggles this season are all about injuries to himself, his receivers and his offensive line, but that’s no solace to fantasy managers who were counting on him. Herbert was second behind Josh Allen in fantasy points among quarterbacks last season. In 2022, he’s QB15.

Keenan Allen: Last year’s WR11 has only played parts of two games this season as he deals with a hamstring injury. Fantasy managers who tried to be patient with him believed Allen would return to action after the Chargers’ Week 8 bye. Alas, Allen is still missing in action.

Mike Williams: After a strong 2021 season, it was thought the only thing holding Williams back was that he had to share targets with Allen. Sure enough, with Allen out of the lineup, Williams had three games in a four-week stretch with at least seven catches for 113 yards. But then he got hurt and hasn’t played the last two games.

This leads us to the only successful fantasy option in Los Angeles currently healthy: Austin Ekeler.

After a slow start, Ekeler did enjoy a few strong weeks – reminding us why he is considered one of the top fantasy running backs in the NFL. Ekeler scored 10 total touchdowns in a five-game stretch from Weeks 4-9. Somehow, that’s been enough to make him the highest-scoring running back in fantasy this season. However, yardage production has been lacking. He’s only had one 100-yard rushing game this season and just three games with 100 or more scrimmage yards.

In Sunday night’s loss at San Francisco, Ekeler was held to 63 scrimmage yards and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Week 3. The 49ers are one of the better defenses Ekeler will face, and his seven receptions boosted his value in PPR leagues. Despite averaging just 50.1 rushing yards per game, Ekeler will continue to catch a lot of passes because a) the Chargers still miss their best wide receiver threats; b) Herbert doesn’t have enough time to do much more than dump it off to Ekeler.

Of course, given the misery that has stricken the rest of the fantasy-relevant players in Los Angeles, it’s just a matter of time before Ekeler takes a hit.

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