Fantasy Football: Can Puka Nacua Repeat Last Week’s Performance?

Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua had one of the best NFL debuts in their Week 1 win versus the Seattle Seahawks.

Wide Receivers to post 18+ PPR without a Touchdown in Week 1

Justin Jefferson
Chris Olave
Puka Nacua

Nacua had the MOST Targets by a Rookie in Week 1 EVER pic.twitter.com/QTK9Ysxlwu

— DynastyIM (@dynasty_im) September 14, 2023

Nacua was picked in the fifth round out of BYU and was gaining hype throughout the fantasy community after the NFL Draft. Of course he would have to rise up the depth chart with Cooper Kupp there, so the hype was not as prevalent as a first round wide receiver. However, an injury to Kupp paved the way for Nacua to become Matthew Stafford’s favorite target in Week 1.

Many thought that Van Jeffeson would be the de facto number one wide receiver on the Rams due to his tenure. That was put to rest as Nacua drew a NFL high 15 targets and caught 10 passes for 119 yards. He is currently WR9 in half point ppr (points per reception). Nacua was barely owned in any leagues, but after his Week 1 performance, Nacua was sought after as the number one waiver claim. Nacua is now owned in over 68% of ESPN leagues.

The Los Angeles Rams are +750 to win the NFC West according to California sportsbooks.

Did you add Puka Nacua on waivers?

🗣️: @JameyEisenberg pic.twitter.com/3DLTsZXjzJ

— Fantasy Football Today (@FFToday) September 13, 2023

Does Puka Nacua Repeat His Week 1 Performance?

The Los Angeles Rams face off against division rival San Francisco 49ers who steamrolled over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Facing one of the NFL’s top defense, Nacua should still see some heavy target volume as the expectation is that the Rams will be trailing in this game. Expect not a total repeat performance for Nacua, but he still should be considered a top 30 wide receiver this week. There is still a question on if Kupp will come off IR when first eligible. In that case, Nacua should be a locked and loaded WR2/3 for the foreseeable future due to the massive target volume in a somewhat below average offense.