Puka Nacua’s Dynasty Value: Is the Rams Rookie a Top-12 WR Moving Forward?

Puka Nacua has been one of the ultimate surprises of the 2023 NFL season. The fifth-round rookie has made an instant impact and has skyrocketed up the dynasty WR fantasy football rankings.

However, is that value set to stay for the foreseeable future? Or is this a window in which fantasy managers need to consider shipping off the Los Angeles Rams rookie WR for peak value? Let’s break it all down.

Puka Nacua’s Dynasty Outlook

Dynasty fantasy football is all about playing in the window of two to three years. Many people believe that just because you play in a dynasty league, you need to view these players with a 10-year mindset. That’s completely incorrect.

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So many shifts and changes happen in the NFL on a year-to-year basis, which means that projecting that far down the line is nearly impossible. As a result, smaller windows allow you to carry the right mindset for valuing players.

Nacua’s only 22 years old right now in his rookie season, and he has a very bright future ahead of him. However, his situation in a year or two could be incredibly different than what he has in front of him right now.

For starters, Matthew Stafford is getting toward the end of his NFL career. Injuries are starting to pile up, and it may not be long before he decides to hang up his cleats. That puts Nacua into a QB conundrum for potentially even 2024 and beyond.

Stafford has proven that he can play the QB position at a high level and that he is not afraid to lock onto WRs if he knows he can trust them. We’ve seen that with Cooper Kupp in years past, and we’re seeing it again here with Nacua.

Additionally, rumors were swirling this past offseason regarding head coach Sean McVay and his future with the Rams and whether he would choose to go into broadcasting.

It was a bit of a surprise that he chose to return to the sidelines in 2023, but that speculation may arise again this offseason. If McVay did choose to step away, it would send Nacua’s dynasty value into a tailspin, as McVay has proven to be one of the best offensive-minded coaches in the entire league.

Kupp figures to be around the Rams organization for the next several years, as he isn’t slated to hit free agency until 2027. His skills may decline over the next few years as he nears the latter stages of his career, but he’ll still be there to command targets from whichever QB is throwing him and Nacua the ball.

Nacua has a very bright future ahead of him, and he’s going to be a stalwart in fantasy lineups potentially for the next decade! However, there’s enough uncertainty surrounding him that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to entertain trade offers to see if you can capitalize on his incredible value right now.

Should You Trade Nacua?

Are you considering trading Nacua? Our Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer allows you to find the best trades to make in seconds! It also allows us to see trending searches, which we’ve compiled a few of the most popular below.

Should You Trade Nacua for Chris Olave?

Nacua’s had an excellent start to his NFL career, but the talent and pedigree between the two players coming out of college wasn’t close. Say what you will about Derek Carr, but the stability that he provides in New Orleans is valuable, and Olave might not have to compete with Michael Thomas for targets beyond this year.

The Trade Analyzer says to go with Olave in this situation, and I’m going to agree. You may take a bit of a hit this year, but Olave has the better outlook over the next two to three years.

Should You Trade Nacua for DJ Moore?

This one’s difficult because we know that Moore can be a dynamic fantasy asset that can put up weekly top-five production. Unfortunately, Justin Fields hasn’t been healthy recently, and Moore’s perceived fantasy value has taken a dip as a result.

The upside for Moore if he is catching passes from a top-tier QB prospect like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye in 2024 is incredibly enticing. With the unknowns at the QB situation in Los Angeles over the next two to three years, Moore’s going to be the side of this trade that I would take.

Should You Trade Nacua for Jordan Addison?

There was a case to be made that this was a pretty even trade for 2023 just a week or so ago, but now that we know Kirk Cousins is set to miss 2024 and Jordan Addison will be catching passes from Joshua Dobbs for the remainder of the year, Nacua’s clearly the better option for a contending team.

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Both rookies have uncertainty at the QB situation surrounding them moving forward, though. Cousins is set to be a free agent in 2024, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be back in Minnesota. If we knew that he was going to be back, Addison may be the answer here.

This trade is incredibly close in the Trade Analyzer, but Nacua’s ability to contend with the WR1 in his offense has been more productive than Addison’s contending with his WR1. I’ll let that be the tiebreaker and go with Nacua here, but in actuality, they’re in the same tier, and you should probably just hold who you have.

Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Start/Sit Optimizer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!