The hip injury that caused Puka Nacua to miss Week 2 against the Giants has not improved enough for him to practice, forcing him to miss his second consecutive session of the week. While head coach Sean McVay stressed that the team doesn’t view this as a long-term issue, the lack of practice points heavily toward Nacua missing Sunday night’s showdown against the Broncos.
Given the late kickoff, fantasy football managers will need to monitor his Friday status closely and have a backup plan heading into Sunday night. Assuming he sits, expect Davante Adams (10 targets in Week 2) and Terrance Ferguson (9 targets in week 2) to once again shoulder the load, as no other Rams receiver saw more than two targets last week.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) was not ...
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) is ...
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (hip) is listed ...
Rams superstar WR Puka Nacua will officially be inactive for Monday Night Football vs. the Giants in the Week 2 contest, per Adam Schefter. He reported yesterday on ESPN Gameday that Nacua was “trending in the wrong direction” and he will now officially be inactive.
This likely means Matthew Stafford takes a hit with a shift to more of a run-first offense, lead by the duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, as the Rams have a shallow WR room. It will elevate Davante Adams to the WR1 role for the night and may provide a chance for 2nd-year TE Terrance Ferguson to have his breakout game. Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith are the only other active WR’s besides Adams.
If Puka Nacua—who commanded a 22.9% target share and put up 1,715 yards last year—misses this game due to his psoas injury, Sean McVay will assuredly shift the playcalling toward Williams and Corum on the ground. Williams already handles heavy volume with a 46.7% opportunity share, and will absorb the highest-value touches in this offense.
Meanwhile, Davante Adams ceiling will reach new heights and Terrance Ferguson will have an improved second chance at a sophomore breakout after running routes on just 41 percent of Stafford’s dropbacks in Week 1.
Rams superstar WR Puka Nacua will miss practice again today due to a hip injury, and also reportedly has groin soreness. Puka will have an extra day to hopefully get healthy enough to play, as the Rams play on Monday night vs. the Giants.
His direct backup Jordan Whittington (quad) will be listed as doubtful, so 2nd-year WR Konata Mumpfield could draw the start if Puka does miss the game. This could also be an opportunity for popular preseason sleeper TE Terrance Ferguson to get an opportunity to breakout. Puka is a top 3 WR when healthy and the Rams depth at WR is scant, so Matthew Stafford might take a hit if they end up relying more on the running game behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
Rams star WR Puka Nacua is expected to avoid suspension for the 2026 season opener and no suspension in 2026 is now a possibility. Ranked as PlayerProfile’s WR1 for 2026, Puka looks to add another stellar year to his resume and now fantasy managers should have no reservations about 2026.
With an uncanny athletic score of 99.9, Puka averaged 23.4 PPG in 2025 and finished as the overall WR1. The only thing that was casting shade on Nacua’s profile was the threat of a suspension due to his questionable antics this offseason. Adam Schefter said Monday that he wouldn’t be surprised if Puka avoids all discipline from the league in 2026. Veteran WR Davante Adams should still produce for fantasy as his elite redzone connection with QB Matthew Stafford is a major threat to defenses, but at age 33, Adams in the twilight of his career. Looks like wheels up for Puka, as he’s locked and loaded for more elite fantasy production in 2026 .
~Justin Teck
The NFL is not expected to place Puka Nacua on the commissioner’s exempt list, removing one major obstacle ahead of the Rams’ season opener against San Francisco. Nacua is not completely out of the woods with the league, but the decision signals that his situation does not warrant a paid suspension at this time.
Now the only real Week 1 concern is his groin, and current expectations are that the injury will not keep him out of the Rams’ Australian opener. PlayerProfiler’s WR1 reflects Nacua’s elite production, including a 95th percentile Target Share and 93rd percentile Catch Rate. If Nacua gets cleared, keep drafting him like the alpha he is.
