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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) was one of 2023's biggest league-winners. He went undrafted in the majority of leagues as he was a fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft, and a rookie at that. He proceeded to destroy everyone's expectations on his way to a WR4 finish in full-PPR scoring.
Unfortunately, he didn't last a full game in 2024 before going down with a re-aggravation of a knee injury he suffered in training camp. He was then placed on injured reserve, and hasn't played a game since. There are rumblings of a potential return to play, though.
So will Nacua play tonight on Thursday Night Football?
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Puka Nacua Fantasy Football Injury Update
UPDATE: Nacua Has Been Activated To The Active Roster And Is Expected To Play
The latest developments have been pretty surprising. He was designated to return to practice two days ago despite the common belief that he was unlikely to return to play until Week 9 at the earliest.
LA Rams Roster Moves:
• Designated for Return, Returned to Practice WR Puka Nacua pic.twitter.com/9m0btRjgWG— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 22, 2024
In a subsequent development, the Los Angeles Rams were supposedly "optimistic" that he could suit up for the contest against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. This was highly unexpected, and it's worth speculating if that's even a good idea. Rushing him back after he was put on IR due to clearly being rushed back in Week 1 seems odd.
The #Rams get Cooper Kupp back (for the final time?) tonight against the #Vikings — and there is now optimism Puka Nacua potentially could return as well. @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/BHcqTBJNyW
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 24, 2024
It's possible that these are just mind games. It's also possible he returns but has a decoy game or rarely sees the field. These both seem like likely scenarios.
Puka Nacua Fantasy Football Injury Impact
If he does return, sees significant playing time, and isn't a decoy, he'll provide a huge boost to a Rams offense that's already getting their other star WR, Cooper Kupp, back from an ankle injury that he suffered in Week 2. In the more likely scenario that he doesn't play or sees a limited workload, he'll probably not make a huge difference for the LA's offensive attack.
PUKA NACUA TOUCHDOWN!!#RAMS ARE STACKED AT WR pic.twitter.com/QbLothcSQb
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 8, 2023
He's an absolute stud when healthy. Look for him to make huge impacts on games further down the road. There are too many variables working against him this week to be certain of a big performance.
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