Could Juju-Smith Schuster Have Cooper Kupp-Level Fantasy Football Breakout?

Could there be another fantasy football goldmine sitting in the middle rounds just one season after Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp took the NFL world by storm?

While Kupp’s 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns are not likely to be repeated anytime soon, we might see a breakout strong enough to carry teams to a fantasy football championship.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster could ascend on a similar trajectory given the many parallels to Kupp’s situation from a season ago.

Here’s why Smith-Schuster could mirror Kupp like no other this season:

Like Kupp, Smith-Schuster will have a substantial upgrade at quarterback this season
Prior to Kupp’s surge to the top of the wide receiver rankings, the Rams made a notable upgrade under center. Jared Goff was shipped to the Detroit Lions in a trade with quarterback Matt Stafford returning to Los Angeles.

While Ben Roethlisberger is an unquestioned Hall of Famer, his arm was shot in his last couple of seasons, limiting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense as a whole. Smith-Schuster now has joined Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. That’s a massive upgrade as Mahomes has arguably the best arm in the league, maybe even in NFL history.

Both players showed flashes of elite talent before breakout
Kupp notched a 1,164-yard season in 2019 and just fell below the 1,000-yard threshold in 2020. His 17-game average entering his breakout was 91 receptions for 1,124 yards and eight touchdowns.

Smith-Schuster recorded a 1,426-yard season with seven touchdowns in 2018, before Roethlisberger’s arm declined. Over the course of five seasons, the 25-year-old has a 17-game average of 87 receptions for 1,040 yards and seven touchdowns.

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Kupp and Smith-Schuster dominate in the slot
The slot receiver position has become one of the biggest rising threats in football over the last decade and both receivers have proven to be capable of elite play on the inside.

Kupp starred in a unique role on the inside where he not only handed the highest target share on the team but was even responsible for blocking as an in-line tight end at times and moved around the formation constantly.

Smith-Schuster began his career as an outside threat but has thrived in more of a slot role as of late. With offensive guru Andy Reid leading the charge as head coach of the Chiefs, the young receiver can be used optimally and have a chance to show his versatile skillset in an offense that underwent massive turnover this offseason.

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Both players had lower average draft positions due to an unclear depth chart
A season ago there was no clear No. 1 target in the Rams offense entering Week 1 as both Robert Woods and Kupp were expected to play large roles. While it turned out that Stafford and the high-powered Rams offense was capable of supporting two top fantasy football receivers — Woods was on pace to break 1,000 yards on top of Kupp’s performance before his injury — the uncertainty left fantasy football players unable to draft either player highly. Kupp was the consensus 19th receiver off the board with an overall ADP of 51 (fifth round in a 12-person league), according to FantasyPros.

Smith-Schuster faces a similar situation in Kansas City. The money would indicate that teammate Marquez Valdes-Scantling will receive the bulk share of the Chiefs’ targets in 2022. That said, Smith-Schuster has a far-greater pedigree in terms of on-field production and enters camp healthy after a lost season in 2021. The newly-acquired Chiefs weapon is expected to be the 29th receiver off the board this season with an ADP of 75 (seventh round). He’ll be a steal if he can displace Valdes-Scantling as the No. 1 target for Mahomes.

Time will tell if Smith-Schuster can come close to mirroring Kupp’s breakout from a season ago, but he finds himself in a similar circumstance as a big slot receiver with a massive upgrade under center and middling expectations from the fantasy community.