Puka Nacua

Puka Nacua had a solid performance in the Rams’ Wild Card win over the Minnesota Vikings, catching five of his nine targets for 44 yards and adding a seven-yard rush. Despite his relatively modest production compared to recent games, Nacua’s role as Matthew Stafford’s top target remains clear. He led the team in targets, outperforming Cooper Kupp, who posted just one catch for 29 yards. While his Wild Card outing wasn’t his most impressive, it reinforced that he’s still the most reliable weapon in the Rams offense. 

Looking ahead to the Divisional Round, Nacua faces a tough challenge against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he’s proven he can deliver against elite defenses. In the first matchup between these two teams this season, he caught nine passes for 117 yards on 13 targets, showcasing his ability to thrive in tough matchups. With Stafford’s trust in him, Nacua remains the top fantasy option for the Rams and should be considered a high-upside DFS play. His ceiling is as high as any receiver this weekend, and his value heading into 2025 remains strong. Nacua has established himself as a key piece in the Rams’ offense, and with Kupp’s continued struggles, he could see even more volume next season, making him one of the most valuable WR assets for the future.

Mike Lindberg @FFCanuck99

The Los Angeles Rams get great news that both star receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are back in the lineup tonight for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. Kupp was already eyeing this week as his return date but Nacua returning is a big surprise this week. Both receivers have a great connection with quarterback Matt Stafford and this will be the first game that both are on the field at the same time this season. Nacua has been out all season with a knee injury sustained in training camp. Kupp is returning since his week 2 injury against the Lions. Both receivers are not expected to be 100% healthy, but both are better than the other options that the Rams have been trotting out on the field.

Injuries at wide receiver has been a major thorn in the side of fantasy owners, the ones with Nucua and Kupp can rejoice at their return to the field. At this point, Kupp looks to be the healthier of the two. Puka is expected to be on a snap count. With that said this offense is full throttle with both receivers available, the Rams can finally run this offense the way it was meant to be run. This game will determine if the Rams are true contenders in the NFL this season. The arrow is pointing up on all Rams offensive players.

Jesse Baldwin @J_Baldwin51

After a historic rookie season that made Puka Nacua a rising star in the NFL, he’s seen his dynasty value plummet after re-aggravating a knee injury in the opening week of the 2024 season that plagued him during the preseason. This injury that’s sending him to IR, along with his challenges he faced to stay healthy and on the field during his college career, has raised serious concerns about his durability. As a result, his potential for long-term success is under scrutiny.

Those who invested heavily in Nacua will need to reassess their strategies in light of this setback. Fantasy managers should look at Puka’s prior injury history and determine if they’re willing to accept the potential for him to be inconsistently available to their dynasty roster. If you’re looking for a cornerstone piece who will be available weekly, it’s worth exploring moving on from Puka for another player who’s in the top 25 of PlayerProfiler’s Dynasty Deluxe rankings.

Rams head coach Sean McVay announced that wide receiver Puka Nacua will miss at least four weeks after placing him on short term IR. Nacua was dealing with a knee injury in training camp before the season started. Nacua appeared to have reaggravated the injury in the first half of the game against the Lions. He tried to return, but ultimately left the game on the dreaded injury cart. The injury is reported to be a PCL sprain and he could potentially miss more than 4 games. They are treating the injury with rest and rehab instead of surgery. Injuries were a big reason Nacua was drafted in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He has an extensive history of injuries. His rookie season was the first complete season in which he played every game. He ended up setting NFL rookie receiving records in catches and receiving yards.

This is a big blow for all fantasy owners of Nacua. A PCL injury will likely impact Nacua for the entire season. Nacua was regularly being drafted at the 1-2 round turn. Which makes for a big miss with one of the first picks of fantasy drafts. Leaving owners to scramble to replace him. Demarcus Robinson and/or Tyler Johnson appear to be the next choice at receiver for the Rams. Although there may be better options on your wavier wire to replace the lost of Nacua.

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.