Who Should I Start? Cooper Kupp or Theo Johnson

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, 11:23 PM

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson is now firmly in the mix as a waiver-wire pickup heading into Week 6 after catching six of his seven targets for 33 yards and two more touchdowns in Sunday's 26-14 loss on the road to the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, fellow TE Daniel Bellinger led the team with 52 receiving yards on four receptions. Both the 24-year-old's six catches and seven targets were season highs, and it's looking like he's going to need to be taken seriously as a high-end QB2 now that receiver Malik Nabers (knee) is lost for the season. Johnson's upside certainly takes a hit with Bellinger involved, but fantasy managers can't just ignore Johnson's three touchdowns in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart's first two NFL starts. He'll be in play as a touchdown-dependent TE2 on a short week next Thursday night against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6.