The Los Angeles Rams flew to Australia and lost Week 1 against division rivals San Francisco. They'd rather not make that flight again, and certainly not suffer another loss in primetime. Already without star pass-rusher Myles Garrett for the next few weeks, the Rams offense could be shorthanded as well, thanks to a hip injury suffered by wide receiver Puka Nacua.
It's been a complicated offseason for Nacua — namely for reasons that don't involve football — but on the field he remains one of the greatest threats in the NFC. Whether it be making plays in space, or doing more with less of the field available, Nacua is one of the best late-draft steals of this decade and a player the Rams rely on. Without him, their offense will look different, which is why his status for Monday's game is all the more important.
Is Puka Nacua playing today? What Rams coach Sean McVay said
Nacua missed two straight days of practice near the tail end of the week, and is officially listed as questionable heading into the Rams game against the New York Giants on Monday night football. When asked about Nacua's status on Friday, McVay didn't give anything away, instead discussing the Rams strategy with their young wide receiver this season.
"[We are] being smart with him as a skill player," McVay said Saturday. "Whether or not he plays is to be determined. And so we'll see how he's feeling, but he won't practice [Saturday]."
Puka did practice on Thursday, but McVay admitted that the star wideout didn't quite feel or look like himself at the Rams facility, which is why the team opted to give him some extra time off, and why he'll be a game-time decision on Monday.
Rams depth chart if Puka Nacua is unable to play
The issue with Nacua's status isn't just that he may not play, but that he's not the only Rams wide receiver likely to miss some action on Monday night. WR3 Jordan Whittington is listed as doubtful against the Giants, meaning that if Nacua is unable to go, the Giants should be able to hone in on Davante Adams.
Here is the Rams wide receiver depth chart with Nacua and Whittington on it and bolded due to injury concerns.
Position | Player |
|---|---|
WR1 | Puka Nacua |
WR2 | Davante Adams |
WR3 | Jordan Whittington |
WR4 | Konata Mumpfield |
WR5 | Xavier Smith |
WR6 | Tutu Atwell |
Fantasy football replacements for Puka Nacua
In some fantasy leagues, it's already too late to replace Nacua, as lineups are set and cannot be changed after Sunday afternoon. In most PPR leagues, though, fantasy managers can still bench Nacua in favor of someone else playing in the Monday night game. All of this is only valid if one of these players is already on your team, or if fantasy managers have an open roster spot. Again, that's a lot of ifs.
Some plausible replacements for Nacua could be Tutu Atwell, who is likely to receive more playing time if Puka is out. Another could be Darnell Mooney or Malachi Fields, a pair of Giants wide receivers who were targeted six times combined in New York's win over the Dallas Cowboys and should be available in most leagues.
If you have room for a flex option instead, then the likes of Devin Singletary or Blake Corum, who received 10 carries against the 49ers, could be useful pickups.
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