Fantasy football managers who scoffed at the historic start of Los Angeles Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua have likely missed out on his phenomenal rookie campaign, which has him currently sitting as the WR11 in PPR formats.
Can fantasy managers trust Nacua against a New Orleans Saints defense that has been stingy against wideouts for the majority of the 2023 NFL season? Let’s take a closer look.
Should You Start Puka Nacua in Week 16?
Many expected the return of WR Cooper Kupp to remove Nacua from the WR1 — and, in some cases, the WR2 — conversation each week once he returned to the lineup in Week 5.
Well, what if I told you that since Week 5, Nacua is the WR19 in PPR formats? That may come as a surprise, but this offense has shown us before that it can make two pass catchers viable fantasy starters every week.
Since then, Nacua has seen 83 targets and turned those looks into 48 receptions for 662 yards and three scores. Sure, it may not have been quite to the level of the numbers we saw from him through the first month of the season, but Nacua has been a very reliable fantasy producer with, or without, Kupp in the lineup.
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His matchup against the Saints on Thursday Night Football is a tough one, considering the New Orleans secondary allows just an average of 22.4 fantasy points per game to opposing WRs — the fourth-lowest mark in the league.
But Nacua had no issues posting big numbers against the stingy defensive units of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens with Kupp in the lineup over the last three weeks. He is still a rock-solid WR2 in PPR formats for Week 16.
Trending Start/Sit Searches for Nacua
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network? It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup.
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches. We’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity.
Should You Start Puka Nacua or Garrett Wilson?
Fantasy managers have likely feared that the New York Jets’ poor offense would eventually lead to a terrible fantasy outing from WR Garrett Wilson in a big spot at some point this season. Unfortunately, one of those terrible games came in Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins. Wilson caught just three passes for 29 yards and no scores.
On paper, Wilson has a great matchup against a struggling Washington Commanders secondary that gives up an average of 264 passing yards per game this season, which is the most in the NFL. But the current state of the Jets makes it very hard to trust anyone in that offense.
The potential of a return to the starting lineup for QB Aaron Rodgers provided a slim amount of optimism for Wilson’s fantasy outlook this week, but Nacua’s floor has been high enough that I would much rather avoid the risk of another horrible outing from the Jets’ offense in a must-win scenario for fantasy managers this week.
Should You Start Nacua or Brandon Aiyuk?
The San Francisco 49ers’ high-powered offense has continued to roll over the six games, and WR Brandon Aiyuk has continued to be a consistent fantasy producer with four touchdowns over that six-game stretch.
Sure, Aiyuk had a down week against the Arizona Cardinals with just three receptions for 37 yards, while WR Deebo Samuel went off again, but we can expect Aiyuk to be heavily involved in what is a game between two teams with Super Bowl aspirations.
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The real case for Nacua over Aiyuk is his fantasy floor in PPR formats. Nacua is seeing a minimum of seven targets every game this season, while Aiyuk has failed to hit that mark on eight occasions this year.
I would rather go with Nacua’s floor over Aiyuk’s potential ceiling with the ‘Niners playing the stout Ravens defense in Week 16.
Kyle Yates’ Week 16 WR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. NYG)
2) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at MIA)
3) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. DET)
4) Tyreek Hill | MIA (vs. DAL)
5) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at MIN)
6) Stefon Diggs | BUF (at LAC)
7) Mike Evans | TB (vs. JAX)
8) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. NO)
9) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. ARI)
10) Deebo Samuel | SF (vs. BAL)
11) DK Metcalf | SEA (at TEN)
12) Brandon Aiyuk | SF (vs. BAL)
13) Rashee Rice | KC (vs. LV)
14) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (vs. DAL)
15) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. NO)
16) Davante Adams | LV (at KC)
17) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. WAS)
18) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. NYG)
19) Tee Higgins | CIN (at PIT)
20) Calvin Ridley | JAX (at TB)
21) Amari Cooper | CLE (at HOU)
22) DeAndre Hopkins | TEN (vs. SEA)
23) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. NE)
24) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. DET)
25) Chris Olave | NO (at LAR)
26) Zay Flowers | BAL (at SF)
27) Drake London | ATL (vs. IND)
28) Chris Godwin | TB (vs. JAX)
29) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. CLE)
30) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at TEN)
31) Diontae Johnson | PIT (vs. CIN)
32) Jayden Reed | GB (at CAR)
33) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at KC)
34) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at NYJ)
35) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at MIA)
36) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. GB)
37) Josh Downs | IND (at ATL)
38) Noah Brown | HOU (vs. CLE)
39) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at TEN)
40) Odell Beckham Jr. | BAL (at SF)
41) Joshua Palmer | LAC (vs. BUF)
42) Curtis Samuel | WAS (at NYJ)
43) George Pickens | PIT (vs. CIN)
44) Jerry Jeudy | DEN (vs. NE)
45) Gabe Davis | BUF (at LAC)
46) Demario Douglas | NE (at DEN)
47) Rashid Shaheed | NO (at LAR)
48) Romeo Doubs | GB (at CAR)
49) Tyler Boyd | CIN (at PIT)
50) Jameson Williams | DET (at MIN)
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