The Los Angeles Rams were defeated in overtime by the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, and to make matters worse, Puka Nacua sat out the first half. Nacua had been battling a knee injury during training camp, and the second-year wideout sat out the Rams’ season opener due to a knee injury.

The injury occurred when Nacua made a reception in the second quarter and his knee hit the grass. While Nacua went to the blue medical tent to be examined and attempted to return to the game, he was carted off the field at halftime before being ruled out.

With Nacua potentially out for an extended period of time, it’s worth discussing how his injury affects his fantasy football outlook, and how Cooper Kupp and the Rams’ other pass-catchers are affected by Nacua’s knee issue.

Puka Nacua Injury Implications

According to FantasyPros’ consensus average draft position (ADP), Nacua had an ADP of 14.7 (WR8) in half-PPR formats. Because of this, the majority of those who selected him considered him to be their WR1 or WR2 around the Round 1/Round 2 turn.

Nacua was coming off a historic rookie campaign in 2023 that saw him emerge as the go-to target for Matthew Stafford, with 105 receptions, 1,486 receiving yards and six touchdowns en route to a WR4 finish in fantasy. There was reason for optimism surrounding Nacua this year — even with Kupp healthy for the 2024 season — but a knee injury during training camp put a damper on that.

All reports suggested that Nacua had practiced fully leading up to the Week 1 game against the Lions, as he had been out of recovery for weeks. But an injury early in the Week 1 game to potentially the same knee could spell trouble for the Rams and anyone else who selected Nacua early in fantasy drafts.

It’s not yet known if Nacua will be forced to miss any time, but even if he plays in Week 2, it’s hard to trust him until he’s fully recovered. At this point, anyone with Nacua on their fantasy team should start looking for alternative options for Week 2 — and possibly beyond.

Cooper Kupp Fantasy Prospects

Cooper Kupp was already one of my favorite picks in fantasy football this season, but the veteran wideout proved why on Sunday night against the Lions. Despite the Rams losing in overtime, Kupp led the team in target share (43.8%) and air yards share (53.3%) while putting up a whopping 2.20 yards per route run, per NextGenStats.

Kupp was constantly on the move during Los Angeles’ Week 1 loss, allowing him to see free releases on many plays in Sean McVay’s offense. When Nacua left the game, Kupp was understandably the He was the focal point of the Rams’ passing game and was very effective with 14 catches, 110 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.

While it’s unrealistic to expect Kupp to hit a target share of over 40% every week, he’ll likely be able to handle a huge workload until Nacua can return. Even if Nacua is back in the mix, Kupp appears poised for a big bounce-back season after injuries have hampered him in recent years.

Kupp will face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, who allowed the second-highest catch rate (+15.6%) and fourth-highest yards per route run (2.24) to WRs in Week 1.

Rams’ other pass catchers without Nacua

With Nacua leaving Sunday’s game, the Rams deployed a handful of receivers. That said, it was Tyler Johnson who made the most of his opportunities, earning a 14.6% target share and 2.32 yards per route run as he finished with 79 yards on 5 receptions.

Demarcus Robinson matched Johnson with a 14.6% target share, completing 4 passes for 42 yards to finish with just 0.89 yards per route run. Rookie Jordan Whittington was used minimally in his debut, but he did have a touchdown run returned on a penalty, and he put together an impressive preseason for the Rams.

Colby Parkinson led all TEs on the Rams in snap rate (87.8%) and route rate (80.4%) in Week 1, as he collected 47 yards on four catches. For comparison, sophomore tight end Davis Allen had just a 9.5% snap rate and a 7.8% route rate, while dropping his only target of the game.

Of the non-Kupp pass-catchers, Johnson seems like the one who could fill in for Nacua if the star WR is forced to sit out. At the same time, I wouldn’t rule out the idea that Whittington could see more snaps — especially if it’s an extended absence for Puka — given that he played the Nacua/Kupp role during the preseason.

So, all things considered, Johnson and Parkinson could see expanded roles if Nacua is ruled out, and Whittington is someone to watch in deeper leagues. Additionally, Kupp’s usage and production could be astronomical until his running mate is healthy again.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not authorized to participate in public daily fantasy contests or place sports bets on FanDuel. The author’s advice does not necessarily represent the opinion of FanDuel. Following the author’s advice does not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports bets.