If you have Puka Nacua on your fantasy football team, you’re probably having a decent season. He was a popular waiver pickup after Week 1 when he had 10 catches for 119 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, and he’s delivered every week since by posting two more 100-yard games with 29 total receptions in the last three games.
Only five players in the league have more fantasy points (PPR) than Nacua through Week 4, and one of them is a quarterback (Justin Herbert).
Buy Rams TicketsNacua is viewed as a league-winner by many, someone who can make a huge difference after either being a late-round pick or a waiver pickup early in the season. But with Week 5 upon us, the question is whether it’s time to trade Nacua away and sell high on him.
Trading away one of the six best fantasy producers this early in the season seems illogical, but the thing that makes it a viable option is the return of Cooper Kupp. The All-Pro receiver could be back as soon as this week against the Philadelphia Eagles, and when he does suit up again, it’s highly likely that he’ll go back to being Matthew Stafford’s favorite target again.
That leaves Nacua as the No. 2 option, a receiver who plays essentially the same role as Kupp in the slot. Sean McVay will find ways to utilize both players, but don’t expect Nacua to continue his torrid pace of seeing about 13 targets per game. Even in 2021 when Kupp had his historic season, he was averaging about 11 targets per game as the No. 1 receiver.
That year, Van Jefferson was the No. 2 option on offense for the Rams, seeing 89 passes thrown his way compared to Kupp’s 191. Now, the gap won’t be that wide between Kupp and Nacua the rest of the season, but that gives you a sense of how frequently Stafford targets Kupp compared to the Rams’ other receivers. It was a similar story last year, with Kupp averaging 11.6 targets per game in the eight contests he played with Stafford.
We should still expect Nacua to be a valuable point-producer in fantasy, but he only has one touchdown up to this point and Kupp will almost certainly become Stafford’s favorite red zone target again when he returns. Not to mention, Kyren Williams has already limited the touchdown opportunities for the Rams’ receivers thanks to his goal line work.
Don’t dump Nacua for someone like Michael Pittman Jr. or D.J. Moore. But if you can sell high and acquire someone like Ja’Marr Chase or CeeDee Lamb, it’s a deal worth making. Or if you need running back help, you could potentially turn Nacua into Kyren Williams or Derrick Henry, who are highly likely to maintain a high volume of work.
There’s no denying Nacua’s production up to this point, but Kupp’s return complicates things greatly. If Kupp weren’t coming back soon, holding Nacua would obviously be the only play. But there are a few options on the table now that No. 10 is on his way back.
Ultimately, I would probably hold onto Nacua for at least a couple of weeks just in case A) Kupp re-injures his hamstring or B) Nacua somehow remains the Rams’ top receiver.
