Cooper Kupp DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar writes that new Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp could work underneath in the middle of the field in his first year with the team, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba serving as the big-play threat deeper down the field. Kupp and Smith-Njigba have overlapping skill sets, and general manager John Schneider said the use of tight splits will make the two wideouts hard to defend. Seattle could align JSN more out wide as opposed to in the slot, where he spent 77.4% of his snaps last season. Smith-Njigba led all receivers in yards (956) and catches (79) from the slot in a breakout campaign. It will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak uses both Kupp and Smith-Njigba in 2025. Kupp is on the wrong side of 30 and has missed five or more games three seasons in a row due to injuries. JSN has the higher ceiling, and we can't count on a ton of volume from Kupp at this point in his career.

The Seattle Seahawks have agreed on a deal with free-agent wide receiver Cooper Kupp on Friday. The two sides have reportedly agreed on a three-year, $45 million deal. The veteran wideout will receive $15 million per year, which seems reasonable, assuming Kupp can actually stay healthy. The 32-year-old hasn't played a full season since 2021, but should be an immediate impact player in Seattle. The organization has given new quarterback Sam Darnold some solid weapons with Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Fantasy managers have seen Kupp's stats drop over the last few seasons, but he has only been injured in each of the last three seasons. The Seahawks are lacking legitimate playmakers, so Kupp should see plenty of targets in Seattle.

Free-agent wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been asking for as much as $15 million per year on the open market, sources tell The Athletic's Jeff Howe. However, Howe writes that it sounds as though the former Los Angeles Rams wideout would take less for a preferred destination -- it's been reported that he'd like to stay on the West Coast. The 31-year-old doesn't want a long, drawn-out free-agent process and should pick a new team sooner than later, with it being reported that at least five teams are interested. The Jacksonville Jaguars are not one of those teams, but the receiver-needy New England Patriots have reached out. It has also been reported that the Dallas Cowboys are interested, although they aren't considered the front-runners. Kupp has lost a step or two due to lower-body injuries in recent seasons, but the former Pro Bowler could still have fantasy value in the right situation.