The emergence of Puka Nacua last season has changed the outlook of the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver room entering 2024. Can Cooper Kupp and Nacua co-exist together as top-24 fantasy options at WR, or will the presence of both of them frustrate fantasy managers this season? Additionally, can Demarcus Robinson have any fantasy relevance, or is this a two-man show?
Let’s break down the fantasy football outlooks for Nacua, Kupp, and Robinson to see where the best value lies among the trio.
Puka Nacua Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR Fantasy Points: 296.0 (191.9 non-PPR)
- Receptions: 104.1
- Receiving Yards: 1473.6
- Receiving TDs: 6.0
To call Nacua’s rookie season a big success would feel like a major disservice to his excellence on the field.
One does not have to look very hard to see just how elite Nacua’s usage was during his year in the NFL and quickly realize he was an elite fantasy asset for managers.
Nacua’s 2023 stats and positional rankings
- Targets: 160 (sixth)
- Receptions: 105 (eighth)
- Yards: 1,486 (fourth)
Translation. Nacua was everything fantasy managers expected his teammate, Kupp, would be when they spent first-round fantasy draft capital on the latter heading into last season.
Nacua is currently coming off the board at No. 11 overall as the seventh WR taken, according to current average draft position (ADP) data. This makes him a late first-round or early second-round pick, depending on your league format and size.
In full PPR formats, I would select Nacua at this price point. In standard or half-PPR formats, I’m a little bit less excited about this investment because Nacua still is the second option in the passing game behind Kupp when the Rams get in the red zone.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst
Copper Kupp Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR Fantasy Points: 245.2 (158.9 non-PPR)
- Receptions: 86.3
- Receiving Yards: 1055.0
- Receiving TDs: 8.0
There was no injury discount with Kupp for fantasy managers in 2023. This year, we are getting a significant discount for the combination of age, injury, and poor performance.
To be fair, there’s a reason for that. It’s always risky to bet on an older player who showed clear signs of decline to rebound.
Kupp is 31 years old. There’s certainly a higher chance last season was the start of the end for him rather than just a blip on the radar. Even so, he presents a very interesting proposition. He’s one of a select few players with the obvious potential to break fantasy.
His ADP is WR20, and he is No. 38 overall. At that price, he doesn’t need to be 2021 Kupp to be a value.
Nacua appears to be the Rams’ new No. 1. However, LA consistently leads the NFL in 11 personnel; it’s not as if Kupp is coming off the field.
It wouldn’t take much for the veteran to be worth his draft position. After all, he’s going where he finished last season — a year in which he was hampered by injury.
If Kupp can stay healthy and maintain his reduced level of performance from last season, he should be mostly worth his cost in fantasy drafts. The smallest of bouncebacks would provide a positive return on investment.
From a pure value standpoint, he seems worth it. The problem is the depth of the wide receiver position.
At his ADP, Kupp is surrounded by a bunch of young receivers, most of whom we assume we have not yet seen anywhere near their best seasons. We know we’ve seen Kupp’s best season.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with taking him. If he goes for the right price, I’m certainly going to do it. However, my general draft philosophy strongly favors taking young, ascending players.
I don’t think it’s fair to say Kupp lacks WR1 upside, but I do think he lacks high or even mid-WR1 upside. Therefore, I’m more inclined to take some of the guys going behind him who I believe possess similar upside, such as Tank Dell, Tee Higgins, or Amari Cooper.
– Jason Katz, Fantasy Football Analyst
Demarcus Robinson Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR Fantasy Points: 93.3 (59.1 non-PPR)
- Receptions: 34.1
- Receiving Yards: 378.4
- Receiving TDs: 3.1
Robinson made his impact on our game last winter, scoring in four straight games. He consistently worked ahead of Tutu Atwell, which we can assume will continue until proven otherwise.
Matthew Stafford has been a receiver elevator for years, but with Kupp entering this season at full strength, I’d be surprised if a third pass catcher gives us anything close to weekly value in this offense.
Keep an eye on the usage of Kupp and Puka Nacua (preseason injury). If either is clearly being managed, then Robinson is roster-worthy. I’m entering drafts assuming that both star receivers on this team are good to go, and if that’s the case, you’re never going to plug in Robinson with confidence.
– Kyle Soppe, Fantasy Football Analyst