The Los Angeles Rams may have boasted football’s most exciting passing attack a year ago, and the production of WR Puka Nacua was a major reason why.
With that in mind, it’s naturally raised some eyebrows that the star pass catcher is missing practice time with a lingering psoas injury.
With the regular-season opener getting closer by the day, is Nacua in danger of sitting out real games? Below, we’ll dive into the latest Puka Nacua injury update and outline its potential impact on Rams fantasy football picks and player projections for PrizePicks.
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Puka Nacua Injury Update: When Will Rams WR Return From Groin Injury?
Nacua is still nursing an injury to his psoas, otherwise known as the muscle that links the lower spine to the upper thigh. It’s something that’s bothered him for a while, and the veteran wideout hasn’t been a participant in Rams practice in its totality for more than two weeks. He first left a joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys with the ailment.
L.A. had a day off from practice on Wednesday ahead of its preseason finale, although it doesn’t have to travel at all to take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday at SoFi Stadium at 10 p.m. ET. Although Nacua didn’t practice on Tuesday, he’s seemingly making progress and did get some work in off to the side.
Nacua is coming off a spectacular 2025 campaign that saw him play in 16 of 17 regular-season games and haul in a league-leading 129 passes for 80 first downs. He notched 1,715 yards and 10 TDs in the process en route to finishing third in the Offensive Player of the Year race. He was one of three WRs to post 2.75+ yards per team pass attempt on the season.
With Los Angeles opening its regular season on September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, there’s still ample time for Nacua to get back to full strength. QB Matthew Stafford’s top option being available would greatly aid the Rams in their quest for a hot start.
Who Could Rams Turn to if Nacua Misses Week 1? Davante Adams Among Options
Los Angeles isn’t nearly as scary without Nacua, so it’s paramount that he recovers in time for the regular season. If he doesn’t the Rams’ ship isn’t quite sunk, as there are some other pieces for defenses to account for. Old reliable is WR Davante Adams, who now enters his 13th year in the league.
While the longtime Green Bay Packers star did miss three games last year, he still managed to lead the league in receiving TDs with 14. He was a downright lethal threat inside the 20, ranking fifth among all qualified players with a 30.1% target share in the red zone and topping the sport with 12 of his scores coming from there.
After Nacua and Adams, however, there’s a steep decline in output. Via SumerSports, projected third and fourth WRs Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumphield combined for an 8.3% target share in 2025. Adams’ 24.8% mark was almost exactly three times that.
Perhaps there’s untapped upside to consider, as expanding FantasyPros’ real-time ADP for PPR (point per reception) redraft to 16-team leagues still doesn’t see either player register as a common pickup.
The Rams also have an abundance of TEs on the roster, such as Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, and rookie Max Klare.
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There’s no denying that Puka Nacua is tough as nails, which makes his recent absence from practice a potentially alarming development. The Rams are wisely exercising an abundance of caution with their best wideout, though, which means the panic button likely shouldn’t be pressed just yet.
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