Rams' Puka Nacua: Status uncertain heading into Week 3
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Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged Tuesday that he's uncertain if Nacua (groin) will be available for Sunday's game against the Broncos, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports. "I'm not sure what his status is as far as this next coming week," McVay said of Nacua. "I'm hopeful that he'll play.... If he's ready to go, great. If not, then we'll continue to roll."
Nacua was inactive for Monday's 28-6 win over the Giants due to groin soreness, an issue that kept him from practicing Friday and Saturday. Though McVay is hopeful that the star wideout's absence will be contained to one game, Nacua's status for Week 3 will be murky until he's able to get back on the practice field. While Nacua was sidelined for the Week 2 win, Davante Adams stepped in as quarterback Matthew Stafford's top target and finished with a magnificent 8-195-2 receiving line.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Inactive in Week 2
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Nacua (hip) is listed as inactive Monday against the Giants, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Nacua didn't practice Friday or Saturday due to what officially was listed as a hip issue on the Rams' injury report, but head coach Sean McVay termed the concern "soreness in his groin" Saturday that wasn't related to the psoas discomfort that he dealt with during training camp. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Sunday morning that Nacua would be a "pre-game decision" before relaying Monday that the wide receiver was "trending the wrong way" to play. Now that Nacua's inactive status is confirmed -- along with Jordan Whittington's (quadriceps) -- Davante Adams will be the team's featured WR in Week 2, with Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith and Tutu Atwell also on hand for reps. Nacua's next chance for game action is this coming Sunday at Denver.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: May be trending toward sitting Week 2
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Nacua (hip), who is officially listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Giants, "is trending the wrong way" in advance of the Week 2 contest, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
After being added to the Rams' injury report Friday, Nacua proceeded to miss the team's final two practices of the week due to a sore hip. Though the Rams are likely to treat Nacua as a gameday decision with a call on his status perhaps going all the way down to the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, the wideout currently seems to be trending toward sitting out the Week 2 matchup. With that in mind, fantasy managers planning on including Nacua in lineups this week will want to have an alternative option available to pivot to Monday in the event he sits out.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Looking like game-time call
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Nacua (hip) is considered by the Rams "to be a pre-game decision" for Monday's game against the Giants, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Nacua sat out practice both Friday and Saturday with what was officially listed as a hip injury and what head coach Sean McVay said was "soreness in his groin," leaving his status up in the air for Week 2. Nacua was given a questionable designation, and while it seems he will have a chance to take the field Monday night, fantasy players will want to have another option at the ready in case he is unable to give it a go.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Questionable for Monday
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Coach Sean McVay said Nacua (hip) won't practice Saturday and will be listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Giants, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.
Nacua thus will miss practice for a second day in a row to end Week 2 prep, and McVay also told Royer that the wide receiver is dealing with some soreness in his groin, but the Rams will see how he feels as Monday's kickoff approaches. The issue apparently is different than the psoas soreness that Nacua tended to during training camp, and his status very well could come down to a game-time decision.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: DNP due to hip injury
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Nacua didn't practice Friday due to a hip injury, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.
Nacua wasn't present during the portion of Friday's practice open to the media, but now the reason for his absence is known. He has just one more chance to prove his health ahead of Monday's game against the Giants and avoid a Week 2 injury designation. With Jordan Whittington (quadriceps) also showing up as a DNP on Friday's practice report, Davante Adams, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, Tutu Atwell and CJ Daniels represent the healthy wide receivers on the Rams' active roster.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Not seen at practice
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Nacua didn't take part in the media-access portion of Friday's practice, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.
Nacua dealt with psoas soreness for a good portion of training camp but avoided the Rams' Week 1 injury report entirely before suiting up and looking like his normal self against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, corralling five of nine targets for 74 yards. The reason for Friday's potential absence likely won't be known until the team posts its second practice report of the week.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Avoids injury report
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Nacua (core) was not listed on the injury report the Rams released Tuesday, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com.
Nacua has been slowed since picking up a core muscle injury nearly a month ago, but he will avoid the injury report altogether in advance of Week 1. With Nacua seemingly at full speed, expect him to fill his usual role when the Rams kick off their season against the 49ers in Australia.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Expected to play in Australia
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said Sunday that Nacua (core) is expected to play Thursday against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.
According to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, McVay noted earlier in the weekend that Nacua was "making good progress" in his recovery from psoas soreness, and the coach's latest update offers further reassurance that the star wideout will be ready to go for the season opener. Additionally, Nacua's status had been muddled by the NFL actively reviewing his case for a potential violation of the league's personal conduct policy. While Nacua isn't necessarily in the clear of discipline from the league, the NFL typically announces suspensions for players prior to the Aug. 30 roster cutdown deadline. Nacua's recovery from the core injury thus appears to be his chief concern at this juncture rather than any suspension, and if the Rams list him as a full practice participant when they release their first injury report of the season Monday, it would be a firm indication that he'll suit up Thursday.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Making progress in recovery
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Nacua (groin), per head coach Sean McVay, is "making good progress" in his recovery, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Nacua worked with trainers on the side at practice throughout the week, but McVay indicated things are moving in the right direction for Nacua and that he has been "hitting some high speed yards at a really good clip." Nacua's status for Thursday's season opener against the 49ers remains up in the air, but a better estimate at his availability will presumably be able to be made when the Rams release their first official injury report in advance of Week 1.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Working off to side Monday
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Nacua (groin) was off to the side for team drills at Monday's practice, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.
Nacua returned to practice Sunday and is slowly ramping things back up 10 days ahead of the Rams' Week 1 opener against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10. The star wideout has missed a sizable chunk of the summer, but he and Matthew Stafford already have elite chemistry and should be able to pick things back up rather quickly when the games count. Nacua has been a locked-in first-round fantasy pick.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Still sidelined at practice
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Nacua was a non-participant at Thursday's joint practice with the Saints, Stu Jackson and Zach Edwards of the Rams' official site report.
Nacua has been a spectator at practice since departing last Tuesday's joint session with the Cowboys early, eventually getting diagnosed with soreness in his psoas. On Monday, coach Sean McVay said Nacua may not return to practice until next week, which now will be his next chance to mix back into drills. The Rams likely will continue to take it easy with Nacua to ensure he's healthy for a Week 1 matchup with the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Could remain sidelined all week
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Coach Sean McVay said Nacua (groin) may not practice this week, Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports.
Nacua has been dealing with a minor groin injury since last Tuesday, which as of Thursday was clarified to be soreness in his psoas. He didn't make the trip to Kansas City for this past Saturday's preseason game, and if he doesn't mix into drills at all this week, either, he seemingly would be trending toward another absence this Saturday versus the Saints. In the end, though, having Nacua 100 percent for Week 1 against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10 is the key, so the Rams taking a cautious approach with him comes as no surprise
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Expected to be "ready to go" next week
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Head coach Sean McVay expects Nacua (groin), who is dealing with soreness in his psoas, to be "ready to go" in practice ahead of the team's second preseason game against the Saints on Aug. 22, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.
The psoas is a muscle that runs from the lower back through the pelvis and to the top of the femur. Nacua left Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys due to soreness in that area. He's on track to sit out Saturday's preseason opener against the Chiefs before likely returning to practice ahead of the team's second preseason game versus the Saints. The standout wideout can thus be considered day-to-day for now.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Leaves practice early with injury
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Coach Sean McVay said Nacua left Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys early and that he doesn't have an update on the wide receiver's status, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Nacua exited with the Rams' training staff, indicating that he's dealing with some sort of health concern. The team doesn't seem to be treating the issue as a serious one, but it could still keep Nacua out of the lineup for Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Checks into rehab facility
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Nacua's attorney confirmed this week that the star wide receiver has checked into a rehab facility in Malibu, California, Edward Lewis of the California Post reports.
Nacua has been in the news for the wrong reasons since the Rams' season came to an end in the NFC Championship Game against the Seahawks back in January. He was accused of biting a woman during a Dec. 31 night out in Los Angeles after consuming alcohol. The woman then pressed charges against Nacua, who has since checked into a recovery center. "He is committed to using this time constructively so that he can return in the best possible position -- both personally and professionally -- to continue contributing to his team and the game he loves," Nacua's lawyer, Levi McCathern, said via Steve Wyche of NFL Network. "He will complete the program in time to fully participate in all of the Rams' OTAs. Puka is also deeply grateful for the support he has received from his family, friends, coach [Sean] McVay and teammates."
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Held to 62 yards in OT win
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Nacua had five receptions on 10 targets for 56 yards while taking two carries for six yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime playoff win against Chicago.
Nacua's 62 yards from scrimmage fell short of expectations in the divisional round given his recent string of hot play and the fact that the playoff contest nearly went five quarters. The stud wideout will get another opportunity to post gaudy numbers in the NFC Championship Game against Seattle after the Rams narrowly survived Sunday's overtime thriller. Nacua is primed to go off against the division foe after registering a robust 19-300-2 receiving line in two meetings against the Seahawks this regular season.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Salvages night with late TD
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Nacua finished with five receptions (on 10 targets) for 47 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.
Nacua was unable to feast on Atlanta the way he did last week against Seattle (12-225-2) in teammate Davante Adams' (hamstring) first missed game of the season. The Falcons' talented secondary did an excellent job of limiting the Rams' remaining superstar for the majority of Monday Night Football. Nacua couldn't be held down for the entire contest and hit pay dirt on an 11-yard screen pass to knot the game up at 24 with 4:42 remaining. After the loss, head coach Sean McVay told Stu Jackson of the team's official site that he plans on playing all of his healthy starters against the Cardinals in Week 18, which makes sense given the Rams still can claim the No. 5 seed in the NFC with a win in the regular-season finale and a loss by the 49ers on Saturday night. This affords Nacua one last opportunity on the campaign to build on his career-best 119-1,639-9 receiving line.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Six grabs in loss to Carolina
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Nacua caught six of nine targets for 72 yards in Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Panthers.
Davante Adams was on the other end of both of Matthew Stafford's TD passes on the day, but Nacua led the Rams in catches and targets. Nacua has hauled in at least five passes in five straight games since returning from an ankle sprain in Week 9, racking up a 32-403-2 line on 42 targets over that stretch. The third-year wideout will look to keep rolling in a Week 14 divisional clash with the Cardinals.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Limited to begin Week 10 prep
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Coach Sean McVay said that imaging on Nacua's ribs returned negative, and while the wide receiver will be limited at Wednesday's practice, he should be able to play Sunday at San Francisco, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Nacua exited early from this past Sunday's win against the Saints with what initially was termed a chest injury, but McVay clarified afterward that he hurt his ribs. McVay then told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times on Monday that he felt "optimistic... in regard to where we're potentially heading." There's a decent chance Nacua has practice restrictions all week, with Friday's injury report to reveal whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game.
