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2021 Fantasy Football: Cooper Kupp is chasing history in Week 18

Cooper Kupp has been truly remarkable this season and is on record-watch in Week 18 for the Los Angeles Rams.

Los Angeles Rams v Minnesota Vikings Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Cooper Kupp has been one of the most valuable players in fantasy football this season — if not THE most valuable player. As we enter the final week of the regular season, Kupp has recorded 138 receptions, 1,829 yards, and 15 touchdowns. Kupp leads the league in all three categories, giving him a chance to become the fourth wide receiver in NFL history to earn the elusive ‘triple crown’.

Even before Kupp takes the field in Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers, he’s already put together a historic campaign for the Los Angeles Rams. Most fantasy football leagues held their championships this past week, and if you were lucky enough to roster Kupp, there’s a decent chance you were competing for a league title.

The gap between Kupp and the second-best wideout in fantasy football was astronomical compared to other positions. For instance, the gap between QB1 (Josh Allen) and QB2 (Tom Brady) was only 1.6 points per game. At the running back position, RB1 (Derrick Henry) averaged a mere 0.6 points more per game than Jonathan Taylor.

And at tight end, Mark Andrews finished with only 0.7 more points per game than Travis Kelce to be the most productive tight end on a weekly basis. But when it comes to the difference between Kupp and Davante Adams, Kupp averaged 4.1 more points per game, making him a player that could almost single-handedly carry you to the championship.

If the season were to end right this second, Kupp would already have the second-most PPR points scored by a wide receiver in NFL history. Jerry Rice holds the long-standing record of 414 fantasy points scored in 1995 while Kupp has 412.9 entering Week 18. So with the Rams vying for playoff seeding in the last week of the regular season, we should see Kupp possess his usual role as Matthew Stafford’s go-to target.

The 28-year-old wide receiver needs 12 receptions to surpass Michael Thomas’ single-season receptions record and 136 receiving yards to eclipse Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record. So for those that play NFL DFS or are involved in best-ball tournaments, Kupp could be in store for a productive day against the 49ers this weekend.

We are truly witnessing one of the once-in-a-lifetime seasons from Kupp and we in the fantasy football community either reaped the benefits of his presence on this Earth or we suffered the consequences of not rostering him. To conclude his magnificent campaign, Kupp is someone that is worth targeting in NFL DFS this weekend, especially with him chasing records that were set by legendary players before him.