Who Should I Start? Cooper Kupp or Jonathan Taylor

Friday, October 3, 7:56 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp has entered the bench stash phase of his career. He is not a viable option in Week 5 when the Seahawks host the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers have an untested passing defense, but Kupp has been too inconsistent to this point in the season. Kupp has only surpassed 6.6 fantasy points one time this season. Additionally, the Seahawks' passing volume is low. Quarterback Sam Darnold is averaging 25 passing attempts per game, and 8.5 of those passes are going to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Some of that has been due to game script. The offense has been relatively efficient, and the defense has been elite, resulting in a lower passing volume. If the Buccaneers' offense challenges Seattle in Week 5, the passing volume could increase. However, Kupp is too risky a player to deploy right now. He still has talent, but as of now, he is a better wide receiver for the Seahawks than he is for fantasy.

Sunday, October 5, 5:21 PM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor rushed 17 times for 66 yards and three touchdowns during Sunday's Week 5 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He also caught three of four targets for an additional 20 receiving yards. While Taylor merely had modest yardage efficiency, he made up for it with his nose for the end zone. Taylor has had two different three-touchdown games over the last three weeks, and he ranks as the overall RB2 in fantasy football this season. He is also the league's leading rusher and has seven touchdowns. He should be deployed as a high-end RB1 every week, including next week against the Arizona Cardinals.