WR · LAR · GWTTKB

Puka Nacua — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 23.44 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 4.5, usage worth 18.7.

25 years old · 3 seasons of experience · 2023 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 4.5
Consensus across 4 books, standard deviation 0.4, 1 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on sleeper, priciest on espn.
SLEEPER4.9
ESPN3.9
YAHOO4.5
UNDERDOG4.1
CBS4.5
FFA4

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 1, pick 5 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankWR2
Bye week11
ADP standard deviation0.4 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 341.2 points, 20.8 per game — 117.3 catches, 1,558 yards, 9.6 TDs. That is WR1, 4 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 17.3 points per game to a ceiling of 24.6, with the median at 20.8. Boom rate 18%, bust rate 17%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 4.5 on consensus and our board has him 4. Those agree, so there is no market disagreement to exploit. The question is whether you want the profile, not whether it is mispriced.

Our written view

highest career receiving-yards-per-game average of any WR in NFL history. Fewer than 5 catches only once in 19 total games including playoffs; 8+ targets in 17 of 19. Ranked just behind Chase specifically on a slightly elevated pattern of games ended early by injury, plus a touch of off-field noise not expected to matter but adding uncertainty Chase doesn't carry.

buy · high conviction · 2026-08

The offense he plays in, 2026

Los Angeles Rams returns 5 of 6 continuity slots, replacing oc. Matthew Stafford at quarterback, Sean McVay as head coach, Nate Scheelhaase calling it. The offense projects to 33.5 pass attempts a game at medium confidence and 26.5 rushes.

In: Ty Simpson (qb2), Jordan Whittington (wr3), Konata Mumpfield (wr4), CJ Daniels (wr5), Tyler Scott (wr7), Jarquez Hunter (rb4), Max Klare (te2). Out: Tutu Atwell (wr4), Davis Allen (te2).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 26.9%, with a bear case of 26.1% and a bull case of 28% and a full range of 24.4% to 28.5%. That comes from 29 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

Puka Nacua 26.9%
Davante Adams19.1%
Kyren Williams8.7%
Colby Parkinson8.5%
Max Klare8.3%
Jordan Whittington6.4%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: The highest producers in this offense will be incredibly valuable. Ty Simpson should maintain high value in dynasty at least until he starts in 2028 after Stafford leaves.

Key additions: Ty Simpson Drafted 13th overall. TE Max Klare 2nd round. OT Keagen Trost 3rd round. CJ Daniels WR 6th round.

Key departures: RT Rob Havenstein retired.

Notes: Rams draft Ty Simpson in the 1st round but Stafford is rumored to be signing 2 year extension. Simpson likely to sit until 2028 season. Best for him for development. Stafford will play at MVP level until retires more than likely. Puka has had off field trouble and spent time in Rehab, but should be ready by week 1. Rams draft TE Max Klare early & will likely be TE1 ahead of Parkinson but may not be. RB room is confusing, Corum has potential to overtake Kyren Williams in 2026 season. Both backs hold high value if the other is hurt. Adams only has 1 or 2 more years in him.

How the volume number was reached: Same QB Matthew Stafford returning — anchor to 2025 actuals (33.5 att/g); Regressed 42% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 33.5 att/g; New OC Nate Scheelhaase — pass rate and tempo may shift.

How that share projection was built

29 historical comps for WRs age ~24, prior share 31.2%, same team, OC change. Distribution: median 28.1%, p25-p75 [25.9%, 31.1%], tails [21.5%, 32.2%]. Closest comps: CeeDee Lamb 2023→2024 (DAL: 27.7%→28.2%); Justin Jefferson 2022→2023 (MIN: 28.0%→28.1%); Puka Nacua 2023→2024 (LA: 28.7%→32.6%). Adjustment: flat from opportunity_breakout (volume must hold)

self-anchored 58% to own 31.2% role (3yr), 42% to comp median 28.1%

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: LAR rates 27 against a league average of 23, 4.1 points above it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

Read the full Puka Nacua study →

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved +18.2% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as stable.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 2.1 elite seasons and 2.6 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Amon-Ra St. Brown202216.750%+59.4%
CeeDee Lamb202323.747%+6.9%
CeeDee Lamb202217.746%+55%
CeeDee Lamb202114.642%+15%
Tyreek Hill202117.440%-3.4%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 4 gained value, 1 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2023-03 to 2026-07. Up 868400% across the series, peaking at 9,641.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2023, round 5, pick 177 by LAR
CollegeBYU
Age at draft22
Height6′2″
Weight201 lb

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game20.4
Week-to-week variation0.5
Boom rate20%
Bust rate11.4%
Games missed per season0.7
Injury historyAnkle
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.33

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · LA · 16 games

His best game was Week 16 against SEA — 46.5 PPR on 16 targets and a 33.3% target share, in a game that finished 37-38. His worst was Week 6 against BAL at 4.8, on 3 targets, final score 17-3. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 10 times and came in under 8 points 1 time. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 24.9; in the 7 decided by more, 21.6. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 18.7 points per game. He scored 23.44, 27.4% above it. The engine classified the season as very_lucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1HOU14-923.11011130039.3%63%
2TEN33-1927.68991128.1%69%
3PHI26-3322.81115112045.5%91%
4IND27-20361315170137.5%81%
5SF23-2624.5101285126.1%93%
6BAL17-34.82328011.5%51%
9NO34-1022.87895125.8%49%
10SF42-2617.45664117.6%52%
11SEA21-1914.37875029.6%67%
12TB34-716.771197032.4%82%
13CAR28-3113.26972033.3%73%
14ARI45-1735.7711167235.5%44%
15DET41-3427.9911181028.9%56%
16SEA37-3846.51216225233.3%78%
17ATL24-2715.751047127.8%74%
18ARI37-2026101176129.7%69%

Production

Receptions129
Targets166
Receiving yards1,715
Carries10
Rushing yards105
Touchdowns11
Points per game23.44
Yards per target10.33
Catch rate77.71%
Yards per carry10.5

Role

Snap share68.25%
Target share30.12%
Air-yards share33.69%
WOPR0.687
RACR1.187

Efficiency

Average depth of target9.3
Yards after catch per reception5.2
Yards before catch per reception8.1
Total YAC666
Broken tackles11
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted127.3
Receiving EPA per game7.23
Rushing EPA per game0.58

Scoring position

Red-zone targets21
Red-zone target share16.7%
End-zone target share13%
Red-zone carry share4%
Goal-line carry share2.9%
Expected receiving TDs5.41
Actual receiving TDs6
Receiving TD luck0.59
Expected rushing TDs0.71

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game1 of 44
Yards per target5 of 44
Target share6 of 44
Air-yards share19 of 44

Who else ate

The offense threw it 597 times. He took 28.57% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Puka Nacua 28.57%
Davante Adams19.62%
Colby Parkinson9.64%
Kyren Williams8.61%
Tyler Higbee6.2%
Davis Allen5.68%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 16 games were blowouts, 27% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 25.3 in those and 24.89 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2024 · LA · 11 games

His best game was Week 14 against BUF — 41.8 PPR on 14 targets and a 46.7% target share, in a game that finished 44-42. His worst was Week 9 against SEA at 2.1, on 4 targets, final score 26-20. Across 11 games he cleared 20 points 4 times and came in under 8 points 1 time. In the 8 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 19.3; in the 3 decided by more, 17.5. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 17.6 points per game. He scored 18.78, 1.7% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1DET20-268.244351708.3%32%
8MIN30-2018.17910625026.5%57%
9SEA26-202.114110009.5%35%
10MIA15-2318.89149800031.8%79%
11NE28-2225.37912300133.3%75%
12PHI20-3720.791311700038.2%80%
13NO21-1417.3585617134.8%79%
14BUF44-4241.81214162516246.7%77%
15SF12-617.87897211030.8%77%
16NYJ19-913.6895600047.4%81%
17ARI13-922.9101412900050%95%

Production

Receptions79
Targets106
Receiving yards990
Carries11
Rushing yards46
Touchdowns4
Points per game18.78
Yards per target9.34
Catch rate74.53%
Yards per carry4.18

Role

Snap share69.73%
Target share32.48%
Air-yards share30.23%
WOPR0.698
RACR2.784

Efficiency

Average depth of target7.9
Yards after catch per reception6.6
Yards before catch per reception6
Total YAC518
Broken tackles10
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted108.6
Receiving EPA per game4.76
Rushing EPA per game0.19

Scoring position

Red-zone targets16
Red-zone target share17%
End-zone target share10.5%
Red-zone carry share4.2%
Goal-line carry share3.6%
Expected receiving TDs2.94
Actual receiving TDs3
Receiving TD luck0.06
Expected rushing TDs0.54

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game2 of 51
Yards per target11 of 51
Target share3 of 51
Air-yards share26 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 559 times. He took 19.59% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Puka Nacua 19.59%
Cooper Kupp18.48%
Demarcus Robinson11.83%
Tutu Atwell11.46%
Colby Parkinson9.06%
Tyler Johnson7.58%

Blowouts against close games

1 of his 11 games were blowouts, 10% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 20.7 in those and 19.28 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · LA · 17 games

His best game was Week 16 against NO — 33 PPR on 11 targets and a 34.4% target share, in a game that finished 30-22. His worst was Week 9 against GB at 6.2, on 7 targets, final score 3-20. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 7 times and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 10 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 20.6; in the 7 decided by more, 13.2. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 16.2 points per game. He scored 17.56, 13.5% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1SEA30-1321.91015119040.5%78%
2SF23-3030.11520147038.5%86%
3CIN16-1912.25772021.9%96%
4IND29-2331.3910163125.6%95%
5PHI14-2320.171171132.4%100%
6ARI26-96.64726033.3%96%
7PIT17-2423.4812154044.4%93%
8DAL20-437.33743021.9%92%
9GB3-206.23732025.9%81%
11SEA17-1618.75770124.1%88%
12ARI37-146.74827025.8%81%
13CLE36-1923.947105120.6%63%
14BAL31-37145984023.1%94%
15WAS28-2010.35850025%100%
16NO30-2233911164134.4%99%
17NYG26-2518.758118023.5%98%
18SF21-2014.14641126.1%43%

Production

Receptions105
Targets160
Receiving yards1,486
Carries12
Rushing yards89
Touchdowns6
Points per game17.56
Yards per target9.29
Catch rate65.63%
Yards per carry7.42

Role

Snap share87.24%
Target share28.65%
Air-yards share31.43%
WOPR0.651
RACR1.094

Efficiency

Average depth of target9.1
Yards after catch per reception6
Yards before catch per reception8.1
Total YAC632
Broken tackles7
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted100.2
Receiving EPA per game3.99
Rushing EPA per game0.23

Scoring position

Red-zone targets16
Red-zone target share19.5%
End-zone target share22.6%
Red-zone carry share4.4%
Expected receiving TDs3.69
Actual receiving TDs3
Receiving TD luck-0.69
Expected rushing TDs0.2

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game6 of 51
Yards per target13 of 51
Target share11 of 51
Air-yards share28 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 583 times. He took 28.83% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Puka Nacua 28.83%
Cooper Kupp17.12%
Tyler Higbee12.61%
Tutu Atwell12.07%
Kyren Williams8.65%
Demarcus Robinson7.03%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Matthew Stafford1514718.559.6129%
Brett Rypien176.24.5725.9%
Carson Wentz1614.16.8326.1%

Blowouts against close games

6 of his 17 games were blowouts, 24.3% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 12.1 in those and 20.58 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

Ask the Coach about Puka Nacua →
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