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Cooper Kupp

Can older WR still thrive?

Cooper Kupp picked up an injury in practice yesterday. Reportedly a hamstring issue, he'll be sidelined for "a few weeks." That will no doubt knock him down a few spots in early drafts, and there are people who were probably avoiding him anyway.

There's a concern with the Rams themselves looking like an older, broken-down trainwreck, from Matthew Stafford on down through the rest of the roster. Kupp himself, who had one of the all-time wide receiver seasons in 2021, is coming off an ankle injury that cost him half of last season. While some will note that while he and Stafford were both healthy last year, Kupp was putting up his usual outstanding numbers -- averaging 8 catches for 90 yards per game, with 6 touchdowns in 9 contests -- others will look at his advancing age, having turned 30 in June.

We've done a lot with running back ages lately, not as much with wide receivers. Should Kupp be downgraded as a 30-year-old? Maybe, but I think it's a little soon to be too concerned.

The injury risk is there, although Kupp suffering a hamstring injury now, nearly six weeks before Los Angeles' first game, is better than if it happened closer to the season. And Kupp was healthy from 2019 to 2021, missing only one game those seasons (the other time he missed half a season, to a torn ACL, he was 25).

The fact is, 30 isn't an age that has prevented the elite talents from putting up big numbers. Looking at just the last five seasons, plenty of guys have done it.

Since 2018, nine wide receivers aged 30 or older have ranked in the top 25 (PPR), so about 2 per season. Thirty-one have ranked in the top 50 (6 per season). Obviously if you select Kupp in the first round you're hoping for better than that. But just last year 30-year-old Davante Adams ranked No. 3 among wideouts, while 30-year-old Tyler Lockett ranked 13th. One of those guys had a new team and both had new quarterbacks, but they put up some of the better numbers of their career.

Table shows all 30-year-old wideouts from the last five seasons to rank in the top 50 at the position. The five players who did it last year are in bold.

30-YEAR-OLD WRS IN THE TOP 50, 2018-2022
YearPlayerAgeTgtRecYdsAvgTDRk
2022Davante Adams, L.V.30180100151615.2143
2019Julio Jones, Atl.3015799139414.163
2018Antonio Brown, Pitt.30168104129712.5155
2019Julian Edelman, N.E.33153100111711.267
2020Adam Thielen, Min.301087492512.51410
2022Tyler Lockett, Sea.3011784103312.3913
2020Marvin Jones, Det.301157697812.9918
2018Julian Edelman, N.E.321087485011.5621
2018Emmanuel Sanders, Den.31987186812.2523
2018Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz.351126973410.6626
2020Cole Beasley, Buff.311078296711.8427
2021Adam Thielen, Min.31956772610.81028
2022Adam Thielen, Min.321077071610.2631
2018Golden Tate, 2TM301137479510.7431
2019Emmanuel Sanders, 2TM32976686913.2532
2021Marvin Jones, Jac.311207383211.4434
2019Cole Beasley, Buff.301066777811.6634
2019Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz.361097580410.7435
2018Jordy Nelson, Oak.33886373911.7338
2021Cole Beasley, Buff.32112826938.5139
2018Demaryius Thomas, 2TM31895967711.5539
2021A.J. Green, Ariz.33925484815.7341
2020Emmanuel Sanders, N.O.33826172611.9541
2022Keenan Allen, LAC30896675211.4441
2020T.Y. Hilton, Ind.31935676213.6542
2018A.J. Green, Cin.30774669415.1642
2018DeSean Jackson, T.B.32744177418.9543
2019Golden Tate, NYG31854967613.8645
2018Doug Baldwin, Sea.30735061812.4546
2022DeAndre Hopkins, Ari.30966471711.2347
2019Danny Amendola, Det.34976267810.9149

Kupp isn't the only top wide receiver entering his age-30 season. Others include Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks and Michael Thomas (if we're still putting him in the elite category). I wish he were healthy now, but if it causes him to fall a few spots so I can take him in the second round, I guess I'll be happy about that. For the moment, I'm seeing more opportunity than worry.

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index