Who Should I Start? Cooper Kupp or Ricky Pearsall

Monday, January 26, 12:50 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp found the end zone in a revenge game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams in Seattle's NFC Championship victory. Kupp, who played for the Rams for the first eight seasons of his career, caught four of his six targets for 36 yards and a touchdown in the 31-27 win. The 32-year-old veteran's touchdown grab came in the fourth quarter to put Seattle up for good in the back-and-forth affair. Kupp is no longer in the prime of his career, and he was more of a low-upside role player for the Seahawks in 2025, but he has been more of a factor on offense during two postseason contests. In wins over the Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs, Kupp has nine catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. He'll look to keep it going in two weeks in the Super Bowl against a New England Patriots defense that allowed the sixth-fewest receiving yards (2,014) during the regular season.

Tuesday, January 27, 12:58 PM

Heading into 2025, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was a popular pick to have a breakout season. However, the former first-round pick battled through a knee injury and recorded just 36 receptions for 528 yards and zero touchdowns on 53 targets across nine games played. Availability has been a consistent issue for Pearsall so far in his NFL career, as he's played in just 20 games across his first two seasons. Even when on the field, the 25-year-old has not yet emerged as a featured option in the San Francisco passing game. He's logged just 99 targets in his career, an average of fewer than five per contest. However, Pearsall will likely have an opportunity for a larger role with the 49ers in 2026. Star San Francisco tight end George Kittle (Achilles) suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the team's NFC Wild Card Round win over the Philadelphia Eagles and will likely miss time in 2026 as a result. Additionally, 49ers wideout Jauan Jennings is set to hit unrestricted free agency in mid-March after leading the team's wide receiver corps in targets in 2025. Fully buying in on Pearsall remains difficult until he proves the ability to stay healthy for an extended stretch. Still, he appears to have a clear pathway to a lead role in the San Francisco passing game in 2026.