Who has the better season? Rams Cooper Kupp or Raiders Davante Adams?

There is a small group of NFL wide receivers who are dangerous enough to carry the load on offense. It's pretty clear that the LA Rams have blessed with one of the NFL elite wide receivers, as the 2021 performance of veteran receiver Cooper Kupp broke the Rams All-Time single season record, and pushed the NFL single season record due to his outstanding 2021 NFL season.

But the 2022 season, in which Cooper Kupp was injured after just nine games, truly hampered his production. Coming off a season in which he caught 145 passes and put up nearly 2000 receiving yards, in addition to 16 receiving touchdowns, Kupp was limited to 75 catches, 812 yards, and six touchdowns. For many receivers, Kupp's numbers would have been a solid 17-game performance. For Kupp, it was not bad, but it was just nine games.

Davante Adams toots his own horn among his Top-5 WR list

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is a receiver who truly believes that nobody in the NFL is anywhere close to his level. That's more the norm than the exception for a player competing at his level on the football field. But I certainly would not place him above Cooper Kupp at this point in their respective NFL careers.

That is not an opinion that Davante Adams shares. In fact, when asked for his Top 5 wide receivers, LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp did not even garner an honorable mention. To be fair, he left out Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown as well as Cincinnati Bengals WR Jamarr Chase and San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel.

He does name several receivers who have appeared statistically among the NFL's Top 5 wide receivers in the past two years, but then he reaches a bit to include former Atlanta Falcons and current Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley among his Top 5.

1. DeVante Adams
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Tyreek Hill
4. Stefon Diggs
5. Calvin Ridley

So that brings us to the real question. Who has a better 2023 NFL season? Will it be the LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp or Raiders WR Davante Adams? While it's easy to don the rose-colored glasses and just give the nod to the healthy Kupp, let's be a bit objective about this. After all, a receiver's production is more dependent on the other players on offense than perhaps any other position in the NFL (save put or kickoff return specialist). So let's break this down by categories: Player history and quarterback.

Player history

Cooper Kupp - Since QB Matthew Stafford arrived, Kupp has played in 26 games, caught 220 passes for 2,759 yards and 22 touchdowns. That averages out to
8.6 receptions, 106.1 yards, and 0.85 touchdown per game.
Davante Adams - Since arriving with the Las Vegas Raiders, Davante Adams has played in 17 games, caught 100 passes for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns. That averages out to:
5.9 receptions, 89.2 yards, and 0.82 touchdowns per game

ADVANTAGE KUPP

Quarterback

Cooper Kupp - QB Matthew Stafford has a long storied NFL career with propeling receivers to test NFL single-season records In fact, the two top spots in the NFL are held by Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp, both catching passes thrown by Matthew Stafford. Stafford has played 26 games for the LA Rams, averaging 268.2 yards and 2.0 touchdowns per game.
Davante Adams - The Las Vegas Raiders shed former quarterback Derek Carr and added former San Francisco 49ers hurler Jimmy Garappolo. Garappolo is no Stafford. Jimmy G has a real problem with durability, as his six seasons playing for the San Francisco 49ers averaged just 9.5 games per season. Even when healthy, Garappolo average just 238 passing yards and 1.42 touchdowns per game.

ADVANTAGE KUPP

Will Kupp best Adams this season? If both teams remain healthy, Cooper Kupp should have a better season. If injuries occur, that could alter their seasons. But Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has a track record of being more susceptible to injuries than LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. So if Kupp outperforms Adams this season, will he make Davante Adams Top-5 wide receivers next year?