Cooper Kupp signs with Seattle: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the most interesting teams to follow this off-season. After all, they released longtime veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett, then traded both Geno Smith to the Raiders and DK Metcalf to the Steelers in order to amass a whole host of draft capital. After sending those players packing and hitting “reset” on the franchise, they also worked quickly to secure the services of former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and have now signed former Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp to a three-year deal worth upwards of $45 million. When Kupp was released from Los Angeles following the signing of Davante Adams, Seattle was always one of the most realistic destinations for his services. Now that it’s come to fruition, let’s take a look at the dynasty values of some players who are affected by this turn of events. And trust us, there are plenty.
Cooper Kupp, WR SEA
Again, this always seemed to be the most likely outcome, but now it’s official. The Rams paid Adams around $14 million to replace him this season, so they clearly feel Kupp’s best days are over. The Seahawks disagreed as they are going to give him a whopping $45 million over a three-year span. The contract is similar to that of Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, not Justin Jefferson or CeeDee Lamb, so it seems expensive, but palatable for Seattle.
Over his eight-year career, Kupp has posted 634 catches for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns. Just a few years ago, Kupp had one of the most prolific seasons in fantasy football history, posting 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, leading countless dynasty teams to league wins, almost on his own. Unfortunately, injuries have taken a toll on him the past few years and he’s only been able to record a little under 2,300 yards and 17 touchdowns over the past three seasons and 33 games combined. Still, we have rarely seen any player as productive as Kupp and he’s as dominant as they come when healthy. In short, any time he’s on the field, he’s a PPR nightmare for an opposing dynasty team.
Kupp will presumably start opposite an emerging Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but both of those players seem more effective out of the slot, so we’ll need to see just how things play out.Regardless, Kupp has a home, has been paid handsomely, and is expected to produce big numbers. Dynasty managers will take it. He projects more as a WR2 than a WR1 moving forward, but this was about as good a result as you could hope for. His ADP is going to start rising as a result and the freefall should be just about over, despite his age.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR SEA
Few players in the league made a jump like JSN, who posted a 100/1,130/6 line last season, emerging as the Seahawks WR1 in the process. We saw what he could do at Ohio State and it seems we’re gearing up to see it translate to the NFL as well. Make no mistake, Kupp is clearly going to eat into his target share. However, he really does look like one of the next big things at the position and it’s really hard to look at this signing and justify knocking him down past the second round in dynasty ADP. Darnold was good enough to keep the values of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison afloat, so there’s no reason to think he can’t do the same with JSN and Kupp. In short, dynasty managers just need to stay calm and stay the course. JSN is going to get his numbers, regardless of who Seattle may bring in. Studs tend to do that.
Sam Darnold, QB SEA
Well, having two different total All Pros at receiver (assuming Kupp can return to form) certainly won’t hurt Darnold at all. There are legitimate questions about him since he’s really only had one great year of production. However, it seems Seattle is going to do everything possible to set him up for success. Having not one, but two different receivers who can thrive on all three levels of the field is a big deal for Darnold. He’s going to remain on the QB2 line, but few players may have the runway he does to move up in both rankings and ADP should this experiment work out. Anyone with Darnold on their dynasty roster should be celebrating tonight as he just got one really significant safety blanket.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR SEA
Well, that was fun. MVS was the WR2 in Seattle for a few days, but that’s over now. It seems he’ll be deployed more as a situational deep threat more than anything else now in Seattle. While that’s going to be great in reality for the Seahawks, it may not mean much in fantasy leagues. He’s roster worthy at this point, but it’s hard to see him being a player useful in anything more than best ball leagues.
Broncos Receivers
Denver was one of the teams reportedly most interested in Kupp’s services. While that may have just been talk, the fact he signed in Seattle is great for the likes of both Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims. Both have a ways to go before we can trust their performances last year were more than just a mirage (especially with Evan Engram in town). However, having Kupp on a different roster can’t hurt.
Saints Receivers
New Orleans seemed to be the other team most closely tied with Kupp. Now that he’s in Seattle, anyone with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Bub Means or anyone else can breathe a little easier. At least until the NFL Draft and free agency comes and goes.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
