Puka Nacua had a career year last year. In his first year without Cooper Kupp, Nacua had 166 targets, 129 receptions, 1715 yards, and 11 total touchdowns. If you remember, I wrote about Puka Nacua a year ago. I made the case for him as the potential #1 WR in fantasy with a top-5 floor. I advised people to take Puka in the first round. And guess what? Puka was the WR1 in PPR. He was the WR1 by over 2 points per game (ppg) too, over Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN). Now he’s being drafted as the WR2 in the middle of the first round this year. Should you take him? I would. He’s my WR1 again this year. Let’s get into it.
Puka Nacua Is Still The WR1 in Fantasy Football
Puka improved on his rookie year highs by 6 targets, 24 receptions, 230 yards, and more than doubled his career touchdown totals. This means he has finished as the WR1, WR3 in ppg (he missed 6 games in 2024), and WR4 his rookie year, back in 2023. Now it’s a contract year for Puka Nacua? This means it’s the big year for this former fifth-round pick. What could go wrong? Well, let’s talk about it.
The Red Flags
Matthew Stafford, health, and off-the-field issues.
Stafford’s health is not the most stable thing in the world. Every training camp, there is talk about his back. Every time he gets hit, the Rams community holds its collective breath.
Second is health. Puka plays so violently and misses games. He’s missed seven games in the last two years, and he’s left early in a couple of others. Sometimes he comes back. Sometimes he doesn’t. However, it’s not as bad as it’s been with someone like, say, Jaylen Waddle.
Finally, Puka Nacua is dealing with off-the-field issues that could take a bite out of his season (too soon?). Worst-case scenario, he could end up facing a short suspension. It can also distract him. Are those big enough risks to stay away from Puka? Or draft him later than ADP? I don’t think so.
If It Ain’t Broke
The biggest news of the offseason, from where Puka Nacua fantasy managers, or prospective managers, are concerned, is that nothing is changing with the Rams. It’s the exact same offense, personnel, packages, play-calling, gunslinger, and everything. Nothing should change much, if at all, from target %, route trees, to reads in the redzone.
Puka is averaging 10 targets a game in his career. It’s a big enough sample size to know it’s not a fluke, especially with Stafford. Puka also had 14 receptions in the redzone and five touchdowns (remember who said last year why Puka couldn’t have 15 redzone receptions and five redzone touchdowns)?
A similar offense should mean a similar output for Puka, who was already the WR1 by a wide margin. He could also eat into Davante Adams’ 32 targets in the redzone too. Does that mean you should take him though as WR1, or at the overall 1.03?
Be sure to check our fantasy football preview of Puka Nacua and the 2026 Los Angeles Rams!
The Competition
Let’s talk about his competitors. First, Ja’Marr Chase. If we are talking about the health of quarterbacks, Joe Burrow is as fragile as they come. Now, sure, Ja’Marr Chase has established he’s elite with whoever is throwing the ball. But if you are choosing between him or Puka, you have to get into the finer details.
One of those details is that Chase had an outstanding year last year, only four fewer receptions and two fewer touchdowns, but almost four ppg less. We kind of know what he is at this point. Only one of Chase’s four years was over 20 ppg (thanks to 17 touchdowns). He usually is around 12.5 yards per reception too. His rookie year was over 18. So we know he will be around 12.5 yards per reception and/or 8-10 receiving touchdowns.
He’s a safe WR1 with top-5 upside. Is that enough to be taken at the WR1? Maybe not. Further, the Bengals need to win games. First to 50 and throwing 700 times a season might not cut it anymore, especially if they want to find their way back to the playoffs.
Second, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl and operated at the highest efficiency all season. JSN had 119 receptions but also had almost 1800 yards receiving. He led the league. That was over 15 yards per reception. The Seahawks used a high-caliber running game to set up the pass. And they were almost always winning. That combination proved to be lethal for JSN. That was after 10 yards per reception and 11.3 yards per reception in his first two years too. However, 80% of those 500 rush attempts are either rehabbing a reconstructive knee surgery or are suiting up for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Seahawks also do not have Klint Kubiak calling plays anymore. Brian Fleury, their new offensive coordinator, has never called plays. This could have a real effect on the offense. So, therefore, the Seahawks are relying on a rookie running back, with some of their previously elite group of defenders donning other uniforms (the Super Bowl tax), so the Seahawks might not be playing with the lead as often. The running game might not be as good, setting up the play action bombs to JSN. And he might not catch as many of those deep bombs. That might be just enough to take him from WR2 to WR7, even if he has another elite year. This wasn’t even a discussion on Sam Darnold either.
Puka Nacua is Your Best Bet for the WR1
There will always be a dark horse in the conversation. There will be one or two wide receivers in the top 5, borderline top 3, that we haven’t discussed. But I will take Puka as the first wide receiver off the board. His floor is higher than JSN’s and at the same level as Ja’Marr Chase’s. His ceiling is also likely higher than Ja’Marr Chase’s. Finally, the risks of a bust of a season are lower than JSN’s and close enough to Ja’Marr Chase that they cancel each other out. It’s close. But Puka Nacua is my WR1. So, I hope you appreciated the thought process here. These decisions are tough. But not as tough as Puka Nacua on the field. He will break the curse and finish as the back-to-back WR1.
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2026 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the Los Angeles Rams
Editor’s Note: While this article focused on Puka Nacua in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Rams from Ryan Weisse.
Matthew Stafford
Stafford is kind of like Derrick Henry at this point. We keep expecting him to turn to dust; he keeps finishing as a QB1. He was the QB3 last season and, as Chris mentioned, not much is changing this offense. He is the perfect late-round QB in fantasy football.
Kyren Williams
Kyren Williams has scored 44 TDs in the last three seasons, and he still cannot crack the Top 12 in ADP. What are we doing here? Are we this afraid of Blake Corum? I am not. Williams is my 3rd Round pick in almost every fantasy draft, regardless of what I did in the first two rounds. I can draft him as my RB2 or RB3, and he will finish as an RB1. Please and Thank You.
Blake Corum
I get why people like Corum. When he was drafted, they were literally calling him a carbon copy of Kyren Williams. The problem: The real Kyren Williams plays in front of him. This is not going to be a split backfield. Corum will soak up what’s left and finish near RB36. Draft him with these expectations in mind, and you won’t be disappointed.
Davante Adams
I have been watching football for a long time, and I have never seen a WR do anything like what Adams did last year. He had 32 targets and 13 TDs inside the redzone. More impressive: 16 of those targets and nine TDs were from inside the five. We made the joke last year that he was the best TE on the team. Guess what? He still is. Adams was a top-10 WR in fantasy last year, but because TDs are unpredictable, we are letting him fall in drafts. Don’t make that mistake.
Terrance Ferguson
While Adams is the best TE on the team, Ferguson seems likely to start at the actual position. Even with Adams’ success last year, the Rams TEs accounted for 17 TDs of their own. If Ferguson can win the job, he could score10 TDs this season, making him a great value at the end of your fantasy drafts. If he doesn’t pan out, he didn’t cost much, so you can cut him without remorse.
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