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WR Puka Nacua LAR (2 Viewers)

Stu Jackson Rams @StuJRams
OC Mike LaFleur on rookie WR Puka Nacua: "He's a good-sized kid, he's got a good frame to him. He catches the ball really effortlessly, he can stay grounded through the catch. and so he's doing a good job with it. Particularly moving him around quite a bit... (1/2)

Stu Jackson @StuJRams
... not babying him at all with the motions and the alignments and stuff like that. So he's doing a good job."

LaFleur said you can tell by looking into young players' eyes when they're in the huddle who's "swimming" and who isn't. Nacua has a calm demeanor, fitting in nicely.
 
Not a big fan of Nacua's talent, I thought he was 50-50 to even be drafted, but Rams depth chart is WIDE open. Wouldn't take much to beat out Tutu Atwell and Van Jefferson.
 

Rams coach Sean McVay said of rookie WR Puka Nacua: "It’s been really impressive, how quickly he has gotten up to speed ... He’s really conscientious.”

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue writes that Nacua "has stood out in each of the three practices ... because of his significant workload ... as well as the plays he has made." With a wideout depth chart of Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Ben Skowronek ahead of him, there's certainly space for Nacua to grab a real role on this depth chart next to Kupp if he impresses the right people. He's probably only in late-round flier territory for fantasy purposes right now, but he's a name to keep an eye on as we head to training camp.
SOURCE: The Athletic
Jun 8, 2023 at 2:41 PM ET
 

Rams coach Sean McVay said of rookie WR Puka Nacua: "It’s been really impressive, how quickly he has gotten up to speed ... He’s really conscientious.”

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue writes that Nacua "has stood out in each of the three practices ... because of his significant workload ... as well as the plays he has made." With a wideout depth chart of Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Ben Skowronek ahead of him, there's certainly space for Nacua to grab a real role on this depth chart next to Kupp if he impresses the right people. He's probably only in late-round flier territory for fantasy purposes right now, but he's a name to keep an eye on as we head to training camp.
SOURCE: The Athletic
Jun 8, 2023 at 2:41 PM ET

I love this update.

I had very few rookie picks so I dealt Mooney for 4 picks. Took mostly IDP, but one of the picks was Puka.

After reading about several WRs I’d narrowed it down to 3.

Waldman’s RSP had Puka a tier over the other two.

If he becomes the WR2 in LAR, that’s gonna be a hell of a return on a 6th round rookie pick.
 
Last edited:
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reports Puka Nacua has “been in the mix often since OTAs began.”

Rodrigue has labeled the fifth-rounder one of Rams camp’s “risers.” Per Rodrigue, “coaches and personnel people are excited to see if his touted yards-after-catch ability manifests when defenders are making real contact with him.” Something of a drum beat player since the spring, Nacua could command a non-trivial amount of targets in this paper-thin skill corps.
 
Did he play at all tonight? Didn’t see him in the stat line at all. if he did play, who did he run with?
 
Rams coach Sean McVay said he expects WR Puka Nacua to be “an immediate contributor.”

Nacua started the Rams’ preseason opener before resting the last two weeks. With Cooper Kupp (hamstring) dealing with setbacks, the fifth-round rookie projects to open the year as the Rams’ WR2 and likely Week 1 starter. The Rams plan to go with a three-wide set of Van Jefferson, Nacua, and TuTu Atwell while Kupp is out.
 
Rams coach Sean McVay said he expects WR Puka Nacua to be “an immediate contributor.”

Nacua started the Rams’ preseason opener before resting the last two weeks. With Cooper Kupp (hamstring) dealing with setbacks, the fifth-round rookie projects to open the year as the Rams’ WR2 and likely Week 1 starter. The Rams plan to go with a three-wide set of Van Jefferson, Nacua, and TuTu Atwell while Kupp is out.
And Atwell has looked pretty mediocre every time I’ve seen him.

I’m a big Puca fan.
 
Puka Nacua caught 10-of-15 targets for 119 yards in the Rams’ Week 1 win over the Seahawks.

Nacua did an incredible Cooper Kupp impersonation in this game, seamlessly connecting with Stafford as if they had been doing this for years. Nacua could have had an even more explosive day had Stafford connected with him on a deep shot near the end zone late in the game. Nacua dove for the ball but it was a few inches from his fingertips. Either way, the dominant debut should endear the rookie to Stafford and earn him plenty of opportunities going forward. Though the pace of this game undoubtedly inflated LA’s passing numbers, Nacua’s role is somewhere between good and elite. He should be treated as a low-end WR2 heading into Week 2 against 49ers.

- Rotoworld
 
Looks like another feather in the cap of Matt Waldman.

His profile in the RSP, and moreover, the chart that had Puka a notch above the bulk of the post-1st rounders is the reason I drafted Puka in 2x 16 team dynasty leagues.

What a late round find. I think he was a 5th round pick for me in both leagues?

He’ll be in my lineups next week.
 
I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?

I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.

So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.

As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
  1. Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
  6. Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
  7. Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.

Here are their rookie stats…
  1. Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
    • Receptions: 83
    • Receiving Yards: 567
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
    • Receptions: 101
    • Receiving Yards: 1,377
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 919
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 802
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 2
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
    • Receptions: 28
    • Receiving Yards: 477
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3
  6. Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
    • Receptions: 92
    • Receiving Yards: 1,137
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9
  7. Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
    • Receptions: 91
    • Receiving Yards: 980
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.

So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
 
I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?

I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.

So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.

As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
  1. Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
  6. Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
  7. Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.

Here are their rookie stats…
  1. Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
    • Receptions: 83
    • Receiving Yards: 567
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
    • Receptions: 101
    • Receiving Yards: 1,377
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 919
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 802
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 2
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
    • Receptions: 28
    • Receiving Yards: 477
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3
  6. Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
    • Receptions: 92
    • Receiving Yards: 1,137
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9
  7. Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
    • Receptions: 91
    • Receiving Yards: 980
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.

So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
In this case I think it’s significant. There are some factors that lead me to believe week 1 wasn’t a fluke (I wouldn’t expect 15 targets again)

• a few scouts/film guys like Waldman were all over Puka for his YAC potential, route running ability, & sure hands.

• Kupp injury opened the door to significant target share. 3 more weeks (at least) of potential dominant target share.

• Puka was already pushing for a starting spot - Van Jefferson has been meh, but had the veteran preference as the WR2 to start the year. But McVay was talking up Puka heavily in the preseason.

• Stafford has a tendency to lock onto one receiver. That sure seems to be Puka. And now there’s trust.

• Rams didn’t move the ball well on the ground.

I can’t imagine Nacua being less than WR2 when Kupp comes back.
 
Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.

I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?

I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.

So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.

As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
  1. Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
  6. Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
  7. Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.

Here are their rookie stats…
  1. Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
    • Receptions: 83
    • Receiving Yards: 567
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
    • Receptions: 101
    • Receiving Yards: 1,377
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 919
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 802
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 2
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
    • Receptions: 28
    • Receiving Yards: 477
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3
  6. Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
    • Receptions: 92
    • Receiving Yards: 1,137
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9
  7. Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
    • Receptions: 91
    • Receiving Yards: 980
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.

So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
Good post. I think you have a typo you might want to correct. "Several rookie wide receivers" was meant to say "seven rookie wide receivers?" If it was a typo, this data should not be ignored. Puka's performance cannot be ignored, neither can McVay's ability to scheme an offense to his players' strengths.
 
Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.

I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?

I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.

So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.

As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
  1. Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
  6. Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
  7. Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.

Here are their rookie stats…
  1. Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
    • Receptions: 83
    • Receiving Yards: 567
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
    • Receptions: 101
    • Receiving Yards: 1,377
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 919
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 802
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 2
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
    • Receptions: 28
    • Receiving Yards: 477
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3
  6. Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
    • Receptions: 92
    • Receiving Yards: 1,137
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9
  7. Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
    • Receptions: 91
    • Receiving Yards: 980
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.

So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
Good post. I think you have a typo you might want to correct. "Several rookie wide receivers" was meant to say "seven rookie wide receivers?" If it was a typo, this data should not be ignored. Puka's performance cannot be ignored, neither can McVay's ability to scheme an offense to his players' strengths.

“Several” was the term used by chatGPT in the return. Funny enough, it returned a RB too which I only caught later.
 
Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.

I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?

I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.

So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.

As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
  1. Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
  6. Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
  7. Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.

Here are their rookie stats…
  1. Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
    • Receptions: 83
    • Receiving Yards: 567
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
    • Receptions: 101
    • Receiving Yards: 1,377
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 919
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 802
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 2
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
    • Receptions: 28
    • Receiving Yards: 477
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3
  6. Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
    • Receptions: 92
    • Receiving Yards: 1,137
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9
  7. Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
    • Receptions: 91
    • Receiving Yards: 980
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.

So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
Did you ever find the answer to the bolded question? What can you reasonably see him going for?
 
Stafford homing in on him and force feeding targets caught my eye from Hot Sauce Guy’s post.

This is where I think he has the most value.

It really depends on Kupp coming back or not IMHO.

As long as Kupp is out he’s a WR2

If Kupp comes back he’s a WR4

As long as he has double digit targets he will be solid through week 4. By then we should have some clarity with Kupp, and can make more educated decisions about this scenario?
 
Allen is not going to be the guy to get the Bills to trophy land IMO..
I think he still can, but not sure if he will. He has time but the window for this team seems to be closing. Lack of surrounding offensive talent and the AFC East is getting more competitive. Would of loved to see the Bills have a legit #2 WR during the Diggs years. They needed to go all in the past 3 years on the offensive side of the ball and get more weapons for him. Kincaid and Cook look decent, but seems too little too late. A guy like Hopkins should've been a priority add this year IMO.

I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?

I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.

So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.

As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
  1. Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
  6. Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
  7. Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.

Here are their rookie stats…
  1. Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
    • Receptions: 83
    • Receiving Yards: 567
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
    • Receptions: 101
    • Receiving Yards: 1,377
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 919
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 802
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 2
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
    • Receptions: 28
    • Receiving Yards: 477
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3
  6. Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
    • Receptions: 92
    • Receiving Yards: 1,137
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9
  7. Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
    • Receptions: 91
    • Receiving Yards: 980
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.

So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
Did you ever find the answer to the bolded question? What can you reasonably see him going for?

I don’t really have an answer for the right bid amount. I’m hoping others might weigh in.

In my particular case, I will probably go pretty high as I’m very weak at WR but very strong at RB (McCaffery, Pollard) and probably okay at QB and TE. So for me…gambling a lot of dollars on a possible WR2 quality player is worth it. Maybe $51. I don’t know yet.
 

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