Cooper Kupp Fantasy Hub: Week 15 Injury Update, Start ‘Em/Sit ‘Em Advice, Points Projections, and More

The Los Angeles Rams will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Cooper Kupp.

Check out the FREE Start/Sit Optimizer from Pro Football Network to ensure you are making the right decisions for your fantasy lineup every week!

Is Cooper Kupp Playing in Week 15?

Kupp is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play on Thursday evening.

We’ll continue to monitor the Rams’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.

Should You Start or Sit Cooper Kupp in Week 15?

It’s not quite the same, but expectations need to be adjusted for Kupp in a similar way that they need to be tweaked for DK Metcalf. Both are great receivers with plenty of production left in their profiles, but neither is projecting as a co-WR1 in his offense any longer.

Even with Puka Nacua taking a step toward true stardom, Kupp has earned at least eight targets in three of his past four games. Matthew Stafford is more than capable of sustaining two viable receivers, and I expect that to be the case in a matchup that is nowhere near as intimidating as it was to open the season.

Through 14 weeks, the 49ers allow the fifth-highest red-zone completion percentage (the lone spot where I trust Kupp to win over Nacua) and are the fourth-worst at creating pressure when blitzing. A comfortable Stafford can pick apart any defense, and we know he funnels everything through his star receivers.

Nacua and Kupp were both special last week, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if they both finished Week 15 as top-20 producers at the position again.

Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

Cooper Kupp’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 15

As of Thursday evening, Kupp is projected to score 15.5 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.8 receptions for 65.3 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.

Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.

PFN Insight on the 49ers’ Defense

The decline of the San Francisco 49ers’ defense this season compared to the last two is a concern. Having been a top-seven unit each year between 2019 and 2022, they ranked 10th last year and have slipped further this season.

The first four years were with Saleh and Ryans as San Francisco’s DCs, with Steve Wilks on board for one season in 2023 and Nick Sorensen taking over the role in 2024.

The run defense was better against the Bears this week, but it’s been an issue all season. San Francisco ranks 25th in rush success rate (58.9%) and EPA per rush (0.01). The pass defense ranks closer to league average, but it’s a below-average one overall.

The biggest concern this season has been the continued third-down struggles (43.9%; 27th) and inside the red zone (72.1%; 31st). As a result, the 49ers have struggled to stop drives and points, leaving them reliant on their pass rush to get after opposing quarterbacks and force turnovers (11.9%; 10th). That element has worked well, but Nick Bosa‘s injury situation has been a concern.

San Francisco’s defense did a nice job in Week 14 against Chicago. They ranked sixth on the week with a C+ grade — their best since Week 8.

As we mentioned, they were good against the run but just slightly below average against the pass. The 49ers’ red-zone defense has been woeful for four straight weeks, and they’re not forcing many turnovers over that span, either.

For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.

Cooper Kupp’s Fantasy Ranking

Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 7:00 PM ET on Friday, December 13. If you’re in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.

Week 15 WR PPR Rankings

1) Ja’Marr Chase | CIN (at TEN)

2) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. BUF)3) Puka Nacua | LAR (at SF)

4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. CHI)

5) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. MIA)

6) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. PIT)

7) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at HOU)

8) Mike Evans | TB (at LAC)

9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at NO)

10) Drake London | ATL (at LV)

11) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. BAL)

12) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at CAR)

13) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (vs. GB)

14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. IND)15) Cooper Kupp | LAR (at SF)

16) Tee Higgins | CIN (at TEN)

17) Davante Adams | NYJ (at JAX)

18) Calvin Ridley | TEN (vs. CIN)

19) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. LAR)

20) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at JAX)

21) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. KC)

22) Zay Flowers | BAL (at NYG)23) DK Metcalf | SEA (vs. GB)

24) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at DET)

25) DJ Moore | CHI (at MIN)26) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. NYJ)

27) Ladd McConkey | LAC (vs. TB)

28) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (vs. NE)

29) Jakobi Meyers | LV (vs. ATL)

30) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at HOU)

31) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. CHI)

32) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at CLE)

33) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at DEN)

34) Jayden Reed | GB (at SEA)

35) Keenan Allen | CHI (at MIN)

36) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. DAL)

37) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. BUF)

38) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at LV)

39) Amari Cooper | BUF (at DET)

40) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. PIT)

41) Tank Dell | HOU (vs. MIA)

42) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. KC)

43) Rome Odunze | CHI (at MIN)44) DeMario Douglas | NE (at ARI)

45) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at NYG)

46) Christian Watson | GB (at SEA)

47) Xavier Worthy | KC (at CLE)

48) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. LAR)

49) Michael Wilson | ARI (vs. NE)

50) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (vs. CIN)

51) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (at DET)

52) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at LV)

53) Alec Pierce | IND (at DEN)

54) Quentin Johnston | LAC (vs. TB)55) Xavier Legette | CAR (vs. DAL)

56) Jalen McMillan | TB (at LAC)

57) Kendrick Bourne | NE (at ARI)58) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. NYJ)

59) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. BUF)

60) Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. BAL)61) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. IND)

62) Calvin Austin III | PIT (at PHI)

63) Joshua Palmer | LAC (vs. TB)

64) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (at SF)65) Tre Tucker | LV (vs. ATL)

66) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at CAR)

67) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at SEA)68) David Moore | CAR (vs. DAL)

69) Sterling Shepard | TB (at LAC)

70) Tyler Lockett | SEA (vs. GB)

71) Mike Williams | PIT (at PHI)

72) Keon Coleman | BUF (at DET)

73) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. BAL)

74) Van Jefferson | PIT (at PHI)

75) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at DEN)

76) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at CAR)

77) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at JAX)78) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. LAR)79) Tyler Boyd | TEN (vs. CIN)

80) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (at TEN)

81) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. CHI)

82) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at CAR)

83) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. WAS)

84) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at CLE)

85) Malik Washington | MIA (at HOU)

86) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. IND)

87) Josh Downs | IND (at DEN)

88) Tutu Atwell | LAR (at SF)

89) Mack Hollins | BUF (at DET)90) Cedrick Wilson Jr. | NO (vs. WAS)91) Justin Watson | KC (at CLE)

92) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at DET)

93) Devin Duvernay | JAX (vs. NYJ)94) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. KC)

95) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. PIT)

96) Bo Melton | GB (at SEA)

97) Greg Dortch | ARI (vs. NE)

98) Jalen Reagor | LAC (vs. TB)

99) Jalin Hyatt | NYG (vs. BAL)100) Derius Davis | LAC (vs. TB)101) Zay Jones | ARI (vs. NE)

102) Terrace Marshall Jr. | SF (vs. LAR)

103) Jermaine Burton | CIN (at TEN)

104) Jonathan Mingo | DAL (at CAR)105) DJ Chark | LAC (vs. TB)

106) Tyler Johnson | LAR (at SF)

107) Trey Palmer | TB (at LAC)108) Ben Skowronek | PIT (at PHI)109) Rakim Jarrett | TB (at LAC)

110) Jalen Brooks | DAL (at CAR)

111) Jake Bobo | SEA (vs. GB)112) Xavier Gipson | NYJ (at JAX)

113) Kadarius Toney | CLE (vs. KC)

114) Malik Heath | GB (at SEA)

115) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. PIT)

122) Romeo Doubs | GB (at SEA)

Rams at 49ers Trends and Insights

Los Angeles Rams

Team: The Rams lost three road games in September. They are 3-0 on the road since (all one-score victories).

QB: Matthew Stafford is going to dominate if given time. Over his past three games, he’s completed 78.6% of his passes when not pressured (9.7 yards per attempt with six touchdowns and zero interceptions).

Offense: The Rams picked up a season-high 28 first downs against the Bills in Week 14, an offensive masterpiece that included a 73.3% conversion rate on third down (11-of-15).

Defense: Over its past four games, Los Angeles has allowed 47.2 yards per drive (the first nine games: 30.6).

Fantasy: Puka Nacua has 450.8 PPR points through 25 career games, good for the third most at this point in a career among players who started their career during the 2000s.

Odell Beckham Jr.: 584.3
Ja’Marr Chase: 463.0
Nacua: 450.8
A.J. Green: 434.8
Justin Jefferson: 429.8

Betting: The Rams have covered nine of their last 10 games played on short rest, over tickets cashing in each of the past five instances.

San Francisco 49ers

Team: The 49ers are looking to win two home games in four days (they had two home wins in the previous 90 days).

QB: Brock Purdy completed all five of his red zone passes on Sunday against the Bears and is 10-of-12 with three scores inside the opponent’s 20-yard line over his past three games.

Offense: San Francisco cashed in 83.3% of their red zone drives on Sunday into touchdowns, a drastic improvement from their rate through 13 weeks (48.9%).

Defense: The 49ers allowed just 16.2 yards per drive in Week 14’s win over Chicago, their best rate of the season (six punts forced on 10 possessions).

Fantasy: Isaac Guerendo became the first player in the NFL this season with 50 receiving yards and a rushing score in the first quarter of a game this season on Sunday.

Betting: Since 2019, the 49ers are 2-4-1 ATS on short rest at home (8-3 ATS when traveling on a short week).

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