The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Detroit Lions in overtime on Sunday night, and to make matters worse, Puka Nacua was forced to leave the game in the first half. Nacua has struggled with knee issues throughout training camp, and the second-year wideout was forced to leave the Rams’ season-opening game due to a knee injury.
The injury occurred when Nacua received a pass in the second quarter and hit his knee on the turf. While Nacua went to the blue medical tent to get checked out and tried to get back into the game, he was taken off the field at halftime before being declared suspended.
With Nacua potentially out for an extended period of time, it’s worth talking about how his injury will affect his fantasy football prospects and how Cooper Kupp and the Rams’ other receivers are affected by Nacua’s knee issues.
Effects of Puka Nacua Violation
According to FantasyPros’ average draft position (ADP), Nacua had an ADP of 14.7 (WR8) in half-PPR formats, so most people who selected him considered him to be either their WR1 or WR2 in Round 1/Round 2.
Nacua had a historic rookie season in 2023, emerging as a target for Matthew Stafford and posting 105 receptions, 1,486 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns en route to a WR4 finish in fantasy. There was reason for optimism about Nacua this year – even if Kupp is healthy for the start of the 2024 season – but his knee injury during training camp dampened that optimism.
All reports indicated that Nacua had been practicing fully leading up to the Week 1 game against the Lions since he was out for weeks recovering. But an injury to the same knee early in the Week 1 game could cause problems for the Rams and anyone who selected Nacua early in fantasy drafts.
It’s not yet known if Nacua will have to sit out for some time, but even if he does play in Week 2, it’s hard to trust him until he’s fully recovered. For now, anyone who has Nacua on their fantasy team should start looking for alternatives before Week 2 – and possibly afterward.
Cooper Kupp Fantasy Outlook
Cooper Kupp has already been one of my favorite picks in fantasy football this season, but the veteran wideout proved why on Sunday night against the Lions. Although the Rams lost in overtime, Kupp led the team in target share (43.8%) and air yards share (53.3%) while averaging an impressive 2.20 yards per route run (via NextGenStats).
Kupp was constantly on the move during Los Angeles’ Week 1 loss, giving him free reign on many plays in Sean McVay’s offense. After Nacua left the game, Kupp was understandably The He was the center of the Rams’ passing game and was extremely effective with 14 catches, 110 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
While it’s unrealistic to expect Kupp to post a target share above 40% each week, he will likely handle a tremendous workload until Nacua is able to return. Even with Nacua back in the game, Kupp appears poised for a big comeback season after injuries have hampered him over the past few years.
Kupp will face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, who just allowed the second-highest above-expected catch rate (+15.6%) and the fourth-most yards per route run (2.24) to WRs in Week 1.
Other Rams pass catchers without Nacua
When Nacua left Sunday’s game, the Rams used a handful of receivers, but it was Tyler Johnson who made the most of his opportunities, posting a 14.6% target share and 2.32 yards per route, while gaining 79 yards on five receptions.
Demarcus Robinson tied Johnson with a 14.6% target share and caught four passes for 42 yards, but averaged just 0.89 yards per route run. Rookie Jordan Whittington played minimally in his debut, but had a touchdown taken back for a penalty, and he had an impressive preseason for the Rams.
Colby Parkinson led all Rams TEs in snap rate (87.8%) and route rate (80.4%) in Week 1, when he gained 47 yards on 4 catches. By comparison, second-year tight end Davis Allen had just a 9.5% snap rate and 7.8% route rate while dropping his only attempt of the game.
Of the receivers not named Kupp, Johnson seems like the one who could replace Nacua if the star WR is out. At the same time, I wouldn’t rule out Whittington getting more play – especially if Puka is out for an extended period – since he played the Nacua/Kupp role in the preseason.
So all in all, Johnson and Parkinson could get bigger roles if Nacua is out, and Whittington is someone to keep an eye on in deeper leagues. Additionally, Kupp’s usage and production could be astronomical until his running mate is healthy again.
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