A rookie out of BYU, Nacua has a long road to go if he wants to become a starter in the NFL, and a Fantasy-relevant one at that. But landing with Sean McVay and the Rams is a great place to start. Their receiving room is crowded but wide open behind Cooper Kupp. For now, view Nacua as a Dynasty-only option, and even in that format he shouldn't be drafted in the first three rounds of a rookie-only draft. But if the offseason buzz surrounding him continues into training camp, don't ignore it.
Nacua brought in four of eight targets for 27 yards in the Rams' 37-14 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Nacua and Cooper Kupp curiously combined for only seven catches for 45 yards on an afternoon where Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes, with those scores all going to either Kyren Williams or Tyler Higbee. Nacua has now been under 50 receiving yards in three of his past four games, an undesirable stretch he'll aim to snap in a Week 13 home matchup against the Browns.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Logs full practice Thursday
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Nacua (shoulder) was a full practice participant Thursday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
After coach Sean McVay said Monday that Nacua was dealing with a shoulder issue, it was no surprise that he opened Week 12 prep with practice restrictions. But with a full session under his belt Thursday, he's set to be available Sunday at Arizona. At the same time, the Rams' No. 1 wide receiver Cooper Kupp followed up Wednesday's absence with a cap on his reps one day later, leaving a question mark for the team's passing game ahead of the weekend. Friday's injury report may be revealing as it pertains to the potential for Kupp to play Sunday and thus its possible impact on Nacua.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Limited Wednesday
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said Nacua (shoulder) will be a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports.
During a media session Monday, McVay revealed that Nacua was tending to a shoulder injury after Sunday's win versus the Seahawks, and the issue is now affecting his on-field work during Week 12 prep. Nacua at least is practicing, though, which can't be said for Cooper Kupp, who is working his way back from the low-ankle sprain he suffered Week 11. With the health of the Rams' top two pass catchers up in the air, the situation bears watching to see if one or both may miss Sunday's game at Arizona.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Dealing with shoulder issue
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Coach Sean McVay said Monday that Nacua suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday's win against the Seahawks, and the severity of the issue isn't known, Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports.
McVay termed fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp "day-to-day" due to the low right-ankle sprain that he sustained Sunday, per Beachum. To make matters worse for the Rams' passing game, Nacua also is tending to a health concern in the wake of the contest. He's been able to play through injuries to his oblique and knee this season and still produce on game day, as evidenced by his 69-897-3 line on 103 targets in 10 contests to begin his career. No matter, the statuses of Nacua and Kupp will need to be monitored as the week goes on to get a sense of their odds of suiting up this coming Sunday at Arizona.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Finishes as team's top wideout
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Nacua (knee) corralled five of seven targets for 70 yards and a touchdown while adding seven yards on his lone rushing attempt in Sunday's 17-16 win over the Seahawks.
Nacua finished as the Rams' top receiver after star wideout Cooper Kupp (ankle) left Sunday's contest in the first half with an ankle injury. The rookie standout was then asked to step up in place of his injured teammate for the second time this season, which he accomplished via a touchdown grab towards the end of the first half that helped lead the Rams to victory. At the time of this update, the Rams have not released any additional information on the severity of Kupp's injury, or whether it could affect his status for next Sunday's tilt against the Cardinals, according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop. Nacua would likely see an increase in both his targets and point projections should Kupp sit out against Arizona. The BYU product averaged 9.8 receptions, 13.0 targets and 125.3 receiving yards in four games without Kupp to begin the year.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: WRs to Start
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Hopefully the healthy return of Matthew Stafford (thumb), along with a rematch against Seattle, will get Nacua back on track in Week 11. He had a rough two games prior to the Rams bye in Week 10 with consecutive stinkers against Dallas in Week 8 (7.3 PPR points) and Green Bay in Week 9 (6.2 PPR points). Prior to that, Nacua scored at least 12.2 PPR points in all but one of his first seven NFL games. He burst on the scene in Week 1 at Seattle with 10 catches for 119 yards on 15 targets, and hopefully we can get a repeat outing like that. Of course, Cooper Kupp was out for that matchup, so Nacua should only be considered a No. 2 Fantasy receiver this week. Seattle has allowed 12 receivers to score at least 12.1 PPR points this year, including four duos in the same game (Nacua and Tutu Atwell in Week 1, Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown in Week 2, Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark in Week 3 and Tyler Boyd and Ja'Marr Chase in Week 6), which bodes well for Nacua and Kupp in Week 11.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Practices fully Thursday
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Nacua (knee) was a full practice participant Thursday.
Nacua emerged from the Rams' Week 8 loss in Dallas with some swelling in his knee, but he was able to suit up in the team's last game Week 9 at Green Bay, where he hauled in three of seven targets for 32 yards. He'll be welcoming back quarterback Matthew Stafford (thumb) for the first time since Week 8, so Nacua may be poised for a rebound Sunday against a Seahawks defense that has surrendered the 11th-most catches (127) and 12th-most touchdowns (nine) to opposing wide receivers in nine games this season.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Will be limited Wednesday
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Head coach Sean McVay said Nacua (knee) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
McVay added that Nacua's reps are being capped as a precaution due to the swollen knee that has bothered him since the Rams' Week 8 loss in Dallas. Since then, he suited up for a Week 9 loss at Green Bay, where he gathered in three of seven targets for 32 yards, before using the team's Week 10 bye to rest up. Still, the aforementioned health concern continues to affect Nacua, so his status will be one to watch closely as this Sunday's game against the Seahawks draws closer.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Struggles without Stafford
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Nacua caught three of seven targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 20-3 loss to the Packers.
Nacua has now failed to top 45 yards in three of his last four outings. Sunday's performance came with backup Brett Rypien under center, a development that resulted in merely 130 yards through the air for Los Angeles. Nacua's stock would figure to benefit if Matthew Stafford (thumb) is cleared to return following the Rams' Week 10 bye.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Good to go for Week 9
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Nacua (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Packers, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.
Though Nacua will suit up after he was a limited participant in practice throughout the week due to knee swelling, he'll be on the receiving end of passes from Brett Rypien, who is making just his fourth career NFL start and first with the Rams while top quarterback Matthew Stafford (thumb) is sidelined with a UCL sprain. With Rypien under center, the Rams could opt for a more run-heavy game plan that could lower the fantasy ceilings of Nacua and Los Angeles' other pass catchers in Week 9.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Stays limited Thursday
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Nacua (knee) practiced on a limited basis Thursday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Nacua seemingly has had a preternatural rapport with Matthew Stafford since making his pro debut Week 1, reeling in 61 of 89 targets for 795 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. Even with Cooper Kupp back in action as of Week 5, Nacua still has put up a 22-294-1 line on 37 targets over the last four contests. As the Rams prepare for a Week 9 visit to Green Bay, both Nacua and Stafford are dealing with health concerns, but the wide receiver at least has been able to log back-to-back capped sessions, while the quarterback hasn't mixed into drills yet due to a sprained UCL in his right thumb. Nacua's tending to some swelling in his knee, and Friday's practice report will reveal whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game. Assuming Nacua does suit up, he could be on the receiving end of passes from Brett Rypien if Stafford doesn't gain clearance to play.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Will be limited Wednesday
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said Nacua (knee) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
McVay told Greg Beacham of the Associated Press on Monday that Nacua had some swelling in his knee in the aftermath of the Rams' Week 8 loss at Dallas, which could result in the receiver facing some practice limitations this week. Indeed, that has come to pass Wednesday, but it's unclear if Nacua will remain limited Thursday and Friday. Regardless, Nacua's status for Sunday's game in Green Bay doesn't seem to be in peril.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Has some knee swelling
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Coach Sean McVay noted Monday that Nacua is dealing with some knee swelling and might take it easy in practice this week, Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports.
In Sunday's 43-20 loss to the Cowboys, Nacua logged 57 of a possible 62 snaps on offense en route to catching three of his seven targets for 43 yards. Based on McVay's comments, it looks like the wideout could be limited in practice come Wednesday, but so far there's nothing to suggest that Nacua's status for this weekend's game against the Packers is in danger.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Gets back to full participation
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Nacua (oblique) was a full practice participant Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Nacua finally is back to handling all practice reps due to a lingering oblique issue, which first reared its head on the second injury report of Week 2. Despite the health concern, he handled at least 85 percent of the offensive snaps in both of the last two games and continued to produce, as evidenced by his 30-338-0 line on 42 targets to begin his career. Nacua will aim to keep it up Sunday against a Colts defense that has yielded the ninth-highest catch rate (69.6 percent) to opposing wide receivers this season.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Top DFS Play
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I expect a high-volume game from Matthew Stafford and a rebound for Puka Nacua against a Colts secondary that isn't near as good as their run defense. Last week was his "down" week and he scored 12 PPR Fantasy points. Somehow, he's the No. 6 wide receiver in Fantasy and he hasn't even scored his first touchdown yet.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Notches five catches
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Nacua (oblique) secured five of seven targets for 72 yards during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals.
The talented rookie was on pace for a fairly lackluster performance on the evening before a 37-yard reception late in the fourth quarter helped salvage the day from a fantasy perspective. Nacua still enjoyed the second-highest target share on the team behind Tutu Atwell and tied with Kyren Williams. Through three weeks, Nacua sits with a 30-338-0 receiving line, with the zero in the touchdown department being the only blemish on his impressive fantasy resume, and continues to be an integral part of the Rams' passing game with a favorable matchup against the Colts on deck Week 4.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Active again in Week 3
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Nacua (oblique) is active for Monday's game at Cincinnati, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
In the midst of a two-game breakout to begin his career, Nacua also has been dealing with an oblique injury the last two weeks. During Week 2 prep, he didn't practice Thursday before getting on the field for back-to-back limited sessions, and he took a questionable tag into Monday. With his status now confirmed for Week 3, Nacua will aim to keep up a torrid pace that has seen him produce 25 catches on 35 targets for 266 yards and no touchdowns through two contests.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Returns as limited participant
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Nacua (oblique) practiced on a limited basis Friday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Per Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register, Nacua got back on the practice field Friday after sitting out Thursday's session, but the rookie wide receiver still isn't able to handle a full workload due to a lingering oblique injury. Nacua will have one more chance to get back to all activity Saturday before the Rams potentially hand him a designation for Monday's game at Cincinnati.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Dealing with oblique injury
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Nacua didn't practice Thursday due to an oblique injury, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Nacua was perhaps the biggest surprise of Week 1, when he torched the Seahawks on the road to the tune of 10 catches (on 15 targets) for 119 yards. The performance made him one of the biggest pickups during Week 2 roster management, but he now is dealing with a health concern. Considering his sudden emergence on the practice report, Nacua may have suffered the injury during Thursday's session. In any case, his status now bears monitoring, with his listing Friday key to his potential (or lack thereof) to play Sunday against the 49ers.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Week 2 Adds (WR Preview)
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If you don't have a glaring need, Nacua should be the top waiver wire add this week regardless of position. Nacua's 40.5% target share ranked second only to fellow rookie Zay Flowers this week. Matthew Stafford looked like himself again and Cooper Kupp is out for at least three more weeks. View Nacua as a borderline WR2 for the next three weeks, and then we'll see if he can settle into a Robert Woods-like role opposite Kupp.
