Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua had one of the best rookie seasons ever, but he suffered a knee injury in the season opener and has been out ever since. When can we expect the second-year pro to return to the field?
What Is Puka Nacua’s Injury?
Unless otherwise stated, all stats are courtesy of TruMedia.
In early August, Nacua sustained a knee injury during a joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers. Nacua missed most of the preseason practice period, and Rams head coach Sean McVay described his injury as “a little bit of a bursa sac, kind of burst it.”
Nacua appeared to reaggravate the knee injury during the Rams’ season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions. The second-year wide receiver initially returned to Week 1 for one play before being carted to the locker room at halftime.
McVay soon announced that Nacua had a sprained PCL and would go on injured reserve.
How Long Will Nacua Be Sidelined?
Updated on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 PM ET
Puka Nacua is officially active for the Week 8 matchup vs. the Vikings.
Updated on Thursday, October 24 at 4:30 PM ET
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Rams activated WR Puka Nacua off injured reserve with the idea that they plan to play him tonight. They won’t decide until pregame warmups how much he can play, but the plan is to play him.
Nacua has missed the requisite four games, which is the minimum amount of time he needed to miss. While Nacua did not practice ahead of the Rams’ Week 7 game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, the team designated him to return to practice on Oct. 22.
LA Rams Roster Moves:
• Designated for Return, Returned to Practice WR Puka Nacua pic.twitter.com/9m0btRjgWG— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 22, 2024
It remains to be seen if Nacua will be able to play on Thursday night when the Rams face the Minnesota Vikings.
If he can’t return this week, it means he’s likely targeting a Week 9 return when the Rams face the Seattle Seahawks.
Fantasy Outlook for Rams Wide Receivers
The Rams have effectively been in limbo the whole season. In fact, they’ve played a total of 24 snaps with both Nacua and Cooper Kupp on the field. Now, it appears that Nacua and Kupp are both nearing a return.
Since Week 2, Los Angeles has had a relatively even distribution among their top three options of Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, and Colby Parkinson:
- Atwell: 281 receiving yards, 17 receptions, 20.2% of team targets
- Whittington: 201 receiving yards, 18 receptions, 18.5% of team targets
- Parkinson: 118 receiving yards, 15 receptions, 21.8% of team targets
In that span, Atwell has been the WR36 in PPR points per game, while Whittington has been the WR51. Parkinson, meanwhile, has been the TE20.
None of those players are likely to be startable once Nacua and Kupp return. In 2023, Nacua had the seventh-highest target rate among wide receivers (28.0%), while Kupp ranked 25th (24.1%).
In 12 games with both Kupp and Nacua active, they combined for 53% of the Rams’ targets and 58% of Los Angeles’ receiving yards.
That type of lopsided distribution is probably what we should expect again when both are back in the lineup. Kupp and Nacua will have tempered expectations initially as they ramp back up, but both should be plug-and-play starters every week once they return.