Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Cooper Kupp

Friday, October 3, 12:42 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) has officially been ruled out for the second straight week in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Evans has not been able to practice since straining his left hamstring in Week 3, and he'll be missing his second straight game this weekend. With the future Hall of Famer out again, expect both rookie first-rounder Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin, who will be playing in his second game this year, to be peppered with targets from quarterback Baker Mayfield again. Sterling Shepard will continue to see an elevated role with Evans out, but he'll merely be a low-upside WR4/flex option in deeper fantasy leagues. The 32-year-old Evans will need to get back on the practice field at some point next week if he wants to have any chance of returning for a Week 6 tilt against the San Francisco 49ers.

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.