Puka

Nacua

Nacua’s 79-990-3 line from this season looks like a decline from his 2023 campaign. Then, you remember he played in just 11-of-17 games and averaged more receptions per game (7.2) and receiving yards per game (90.0) than he did as a rookie and that he was on pace for a 1,500-yard season. Knee injuries followed Nacua for much of the year. A burst bursa sac in his right knee in training camp led to Nacua missing most of camp. Then, in Week 1, Nacua suffered a sprained PCL and immediately landed on injured reserve, which resulted in him missing five games. Nacua’s 30 percent target share on the season tied him with Justin Jefferson for the second-highest target share in the league among receivers. His fantasy impact in 2025 could be somewhat affected by what Matthew Stafford decides to do in the offseason, but as long as Sean McVay returns to coach another year, the targets should continue to be there for Nacua, who will profile as a WR1 barring any major changes.

For all intents and purposes, Nacua and Stafford were not really on the same page in the blowout win, but a dominant performance by their defense, which included nine sacks and a strip sack fumble recovery for a touchdown in the second quarter led to only 51 offensive plays run from scrimmage. Nacua appeared to bang knees with a defender in the third quarter and he was seen limping to the sideline, but he would return on the same possession and finish the game for the Rams. The win sends the Rams to a road Divisional Round clash with the Eagles next weekend.

No surprises here as McVay already told reporters earlier in the week that Matthew Stafford will get the week off as well. The Rams have already locked up the NFC West, giving them almost nothing to play for on Sunday. Offensive linemen Alaric Jackson, Kevin Dotson, and Rob Havenstein will also be held out. Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback. McVay mentioned an increase in touches for rookie running back Blake Corum as well.

Jimmy Garoppolo will start. With nothing but a minor change to their playoff seed to play for, the Rams will give their big names the week off. Expect Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, and Kyren Williams to rest as well. If the Bucs win and the Rams’ backups fail to pull off the upset this week, LA will face the loser of the Lions/Vikings showdown.

Nacua was used often on screens and a variety of other short-yardage passes; largely because Matthew Stafford was flat-out unable to get him the ball deep sans a 25-yard connection. It’s still a productive fantasy outing for the second-year wideout, it just lacked the chunk plays that could have made it significantly better. Nacua remains an excellent fantasy receiver, and that should continue in Week 18 against Seattle.

The Rams only threw the ball 19 times today and nine of those passes went to Nacua. He did everything he could only those targets, but there were few deep shots in the gameplan in the cold temperatures. He should be in for a much better day next week against a Cardinals team that is no longer playing for anything.

Nacua’s line is fine — better than fine, really — but it’s a little misleading. Everything for the second-year wideout was short yardage until he was able to beat the San Francisco secondary on a busted coverage for a 51-yard gain. Still, it’s another game over 90 yards for the 23-year-old, and that’s a mark he’s hit in five of his last six opportunities. Nacua will be a WR1 for Week 16 against the Jets.

Nuca was electric in this one. He often found himself working open over the middle of the field against the Bills’ zone defense, but even when he was blanketed by good coverage, he continued to make stellar catch after stellar catch. He did come up hobbling at one point in the fourth quarter after tripping on a block attempt, and the Rams put a heating pad on his calf when he was on the bench. He scored after returning to the game, so he didn’t seem impacted by the injury, but it’s worth noting if he winds up limited in practice early in the week. He should be locked in as a WR1 next week against the 49ers.

With the Rams offense getting off to a slow start, Nacua did most of his damage in the second half. He drew a pass interference to get the team into the red zone and later scored the go-ahead touchdown on a seven-yard screen pass. He also had one carry for seven yards in addition to his receiving output. It wasn’t quite the elite game we are accustomed to from Nacua, but he worked ahead of Cooper Kupp and is the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. He will be a low-end WR1 for Week 14 against the Bills.

Nacua handily led the team in both targets and yardage, continuing to operate as the alpha wide receiver when healthy this season. Fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp managed just 33 yards on 10 targets before catching a 27-yard touchdown on the team’s final drive of the game while down three scores, with Nacua’s role in the offense clearly the anchor point from which the rest of the pass offense is built. Nacua’s next chance to return WR1 production comes in Week 13 against the porous Saints defense.