Chiefs wide out slams Rams' Cooper Kupp for leaving out Tyreek Hill form his list of top 5 NFL WRs
Another week, another top-five list controversy. This time, it was Cooper Kupp in the firing line for his omission of Tyreek Hill from his top-five wide receivers list.
Nothing sparks a more nuclear reaction from the NFL community than a list. However, it appears that Rams superstar Kupp didn't get the memo and decided to naively have an opinion, which he voiced.
Do you agree with Cooper Kupp's Top 5 receivers?
h/t @IAMATHLETEpod https://t.co/GSWt5Hr4FL
The upset party on this occasion is Kansas City Chiefs speedster and former Tyreek Hill teammate, Mecole Hardman. He took to social media to express his displeasure with the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Hardman was unable to process why anyone would omit Tyreek Hill from a top-five wideout list.
Lol I never understand how these folks just don’t put @cheetah in they top 5 well top 2 😂😂 twitter.com/nflonfox/statu…
Also missing from Kupp's list is the man himself, and that appears to be a more pressing question for the NFL fanbase on social media.
@NFLonFOX @IAMATHLETEpod I would disagree with this, yes these guys are good!! But KUPP is always open!! Even when he is covered, he is open!! Look at fumbles,very Seldom KUPP loses or even drops a pass in crunch moments!! Now Adams deserves the number 1 spot, yes!! But the others with respect of course
Do the numbers support Hardman's claims, and how accurate is Kupp's list?
Statistics often don't tell the whole story, but they are certainly a good starting point. So from a statistical standpoint, how accurate is Kupp's top-five list?. Unsurprisingly, the answer is not definitive as it is very difficult to find parameters that do not offer any form of bias.
However, many experts would agree that based purely on raw data, Odell Beckham Jr. is not currently a top-five wide receiver. Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase is coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons in history.
Yet, some argue that Chase's sample size is still small, and for many NFL analysts, that is enough for him to be omitted from the top-five list.
Should Chase follow-up on his heroics from last year, then he will be an automatic choice, possibly even the clear number one.
This leaves Jefferson, Adams, and Diggs, and if we focus on total receiving yards for wideouts in the last two seasons, all three are in the top 5. The other two names on that particular list are Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill.
@lszumigala149 @NFLonFOX @IAMATHLETEpod Most yards of any player the last two seasons. With less targets to boot. https://t.co/M1JUW4VULI
Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson is out in front, despite being targeted less than his other four contempories. In terms of total receiving touchdowns in the previous two seasons, Adams and Hill once again feature in the top-five.
The 29 receiving touchdowns of Davante Adams are more than all the other wideouts during that timeframe.
On the balance of some recent statistics, Adams, Jefferson, Kupp, Hill, and Diggs are all worthy of a top-five place, and plenty would argue for Chase despite him having only played one season. Fortunately, the game is not played on paper, and there are a whole host of wideouts who could be deserving of such recognition.
Who is on your top-5 list?