Puka Nacua had one of the greatest rookie campaigns of all time after falling to late in the fifth round of the NFL draft. He was eventually drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and is now entering his second season. The 22-year-old out of BYU broke the record for most receiving yards and for most receptions by a rookie in the NFL.
At this point, the world knows who Puka Nacua is, and that he’s good, but how good is he exactly? Should we be looking to draft him in the first or second rounds? Or is it too early in his career to put that much confidence in him with Cooper Kupp still vying for targets with him?
What should we expect from the breakout rookie in year 2?
Puka Nacua 2023 Stats and Fantasy Production
Puka Nacua had a stellar first season in 2023, recording 1,486 receiving yards, 105 receptions, and 6 touchdowns. 8 of the other 11 receivers to have at least 100 receptions in 2023 had more than 6 touchdowns, so 6 seems a little lackluster. Other than that, Puka had a perfect first season.
Nacua hasn’t missed a single game, playing all 17 in his first season, despite his last game being cut short since the Rams had already locked up a playoff spot. He accumulated a total of 298.5 fantasy points in 2023, averaging 17.56 points per week. His great numbers ranked him the 6th best wide receiver in fantasy football last year.
Puka Nacua 2024 Fantasy Outlook
In 2024, Puka Nacua will be in a very similar situation. Cooper Kupp is still on the team. Matt Stafford is still slinging the ball to him. Both of these are good things and are a big reason why Nacua had the season that he did. Since his numbers were so great, don’t expect drastic improvement from last year.
According to Fantasy Pros, Nacua is projected to be the 11th overall pick and the 7th wide receiver off the board in a fantasy draft. In full PPR, his ADP is 9th overall, and he is the 6th highest-ranked wide receiver. In half PPR, his ADP and position rank are the same at 9th and 6th respectively.
In 2024, I project 1200-1400 receiving yards and 100-110 receptions along with 8-10 touchdowns. Puka is projected to be a late 1st or early 2nd round pick in most fantasy drafts. He will be a solid WR 1 for any team and could potentially be a great stack with a late Matthew Stafford pick in some leagues.
Final thoughts
Many people are saying that Puka Nacua can’t live up to the hype he created after his surprising first season. I’m here to tell you that this guy is the real deal. He is quite literally the best rookie to ever play the game at his position. Those kinds of guys don’t just go away.
If you look at recent wide receivers to have similar rookie seasons to Nacua, you will find the two closest comparisons are Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Both of those guys are currently ranked higher than Puka and had fantastic second seasons. I think a top 10 WR finish for Puka Nacua is highly probable and a top 5 finish is very realistic.
About The Author
Caden is a massive sports fan and has been following the professional leagues for as long as he can remember. His main sports are NFL and NBA, but he watches and can talk about all sports.
If you want more great sports insight or are looking for sports betting advice, follow Caden on Twitter @CadenBahry. Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
