Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has returned to practice after suffering a minor knee injury.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua had a rookie season for the ages for the Los Angeles Rams last season. Nacua had 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving, both NFL rookie records and 6 receiving touchdowns. Nacua truly broke out last season when fellow receiver Cooper Kupp when down with an injury and never looked back, even when Kupp returned to the lineup. Nacua was a nice surprise last season after being selected in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of BYU. He was battled several injuries in college which is why he fell in the draft. The 2023 Rams season is actually the first full season Nacua has played in every game since college. When Nacua suffered a knee injury in training camp a few weeks ago it was not disclosed how serious the injury was. News today from Ian Rapoport states Nacua was fully participating in practice, so it must have been a minor injury. This is good news because quarterback Matthew Stafford also suffered his own injury by pulling his hamstring. The Rams will need this offense fully healthy if they want to compete in the NFC West this season.
Hope everyone was able to buy the dip in Puka Nacua’s fantasy stock, if not, look for Nacua to the be one of the last picks of the first round of every draft coming up this week. This is about the right value for the second year player, right around the 1-2 turn of fantasy drafts. The risk of injury is there for every player but the injury history of Nacua is a little frightening for that high of a pick. The odds of Nacua repeating his magical rookie season is somewhat low, although head coach Sean McVay is an offensive genius, anything is possible. It is wheel ups on Nacua in your fantasy drafts, his ADP of WR12 is spot on.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) was listed...
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) was a full ...
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) exited ...
Rookie phenom Puka Nucua is entering his second season with a banged up knee sustained during training camp.
Wide reciever Puka Nacua’s explosive debut ended with 1,486 receiving yards on 105 catches, both NFL records for a rookie. Nacua was largely unheralded coming out of BYU in the fifth round for the Los Angeles Rams. His playmaking ability took the NFL world by surprise as no one could stop him. Fellow receiver Cooper Kupp went down with an injury early in the season, Puka carried the torch from there. He never relented even after Kupp came back from his injuries. The biggest knock on Nacua has been his injury history in college. He dealt with a broken foot, an ankle and another leg injury while in college. This limited his production in college, thus justifying his fifth round selection. 2023 for Nacua was the first full season he has played. This current injury does not bode well for the injury prone label on Nacua.
Puka Nacua finished as WR4 last season and has been getting drafted as WR7 in ADP. While this injury is not a deal breaker, it is worth keeping an eye on. Considering his injury history, WR7 is too rich for a player who does not have an elite athletic profile. Fading Nacua in all formats is wise, as he may never be as good as his rookie season ever again. He will likely have a solid career as a WR2, but will struggle with top 10 finishes if injury woes continue.
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp is set to miss a significant amount of time with a hamstring injury.
Cooper Kupp left practice early on Tuesday, August 1st, and promptly underwent an MRI. Kupp is expected to be sidelined for a couple weeks. The Rams do believe that he could return to “scrimmage” later this month, but don’t expect to see last year’s WR1 in points per game during the preseason. Kupp’s Week 1 status is not thought to be in jeopardy.
With Kupp sidelined we’ll see an open competition between Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, rookie Puka Nacua, Tyler Johnson, DeMarcus Robinson, and last preseason’s hero Lance McCutcheon will vie for snaps alongside starter Van Jefferson.
