Puka Nacua injury fantasy news: Rams star WR questionable for Week 7 after ankle injury

Puka Nacua injury fantasy news: Rams star WR questionable for Week 7 after ankle injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, arguably fantasy's top wide receiver so far in 2025, went down with an ankle injury Sunday in their Week 6 win over the Baltimore Ravens. 

Nacua, who was deemed questionable to return, tried to return after halftime on the Rams' second possession of the second half. 

However, despite this attempted return, Nacua did not log a single stat for the rest of the game. Afterward, Sean McVay spoke on the injury. "Puka tried to be able to give it a go, just didn't feel good enough," McVay said. "He maybe could have really pressed through, but we were kind of more being smart than anything."

Read more on Nacua's injury and how it relates to . 

Will Puka Nacua play in Week 7?

The Rams are set to travel to London in Week 7 to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Nacua's return to play in Week 6 was a positive, but his status for Week 7 is in jeopardy. 

We know little about the actual injury outside of the fact that it's his ankle. McVay didn't seem to know any further information after the game.

This will be a situation to monitor as next week unfolds. Keeping an eye on the practice reports, as well as a potential MRI update, is the best way to stay informed. 

The Rams' bye is in Week 8, so they might give Nacua a two-week rest regardless of whether he could push through and play. 

Track NFL injury news before fixing your fantasy lineups.

How does this injury affect Puka Nacua's fantasy value?

Despite Nacua failing to produce in the second half, his being available to go out there at all should be a sigh of relief for those who have him. 

Even though he was used as a decoy, we can most likely rule out a season-ending injury, barring needed surgery. 

Nacua was the WR1 overall in fantasy football before the injury and was off to a historic start. His season-long finish will obviously be impacted, but nothing past that, depending on the severity. 

Would Matthew Stafford be a fantasy starter if Puka Nacua is sidelined?

Because he doesn't typically run much to supplement his aerial stats, Stafford likely would reside in the borderline-QB1 tiers of the fantasy position without Nacua.

Davante Adams acting as WR1 isn't a huge downgrade, but Nacua's after-the-catch prowess helps augment Stafford's passing yardage. 

The group behind Adams of Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, tight ends Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen, and running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum could be enough to hold up Stafford as a QB1/QB2 most weeks.

The Jags defense is a sneaky-effective resistance for quarterbacks, but Sam Darnold was able to put up 295 passing yards and two touchdowns on them in Week 6.

See where we slot Matthew Stafford in our weekly fantasy rankings.

Should I pick up Tutu Atwell or Jordan Whittington?

Before the hamstring injury that Tutu Atwell sustained at practice, he would've been the clear waiver wire pick-up if Nacua were to miss. 

Atwell and Matthew Stafford started to form a bit of a connection, especially on deep balls.

However, because his status is also unknown, Jordan Whittington becomes an interesting choice. 

Whittington was targeted 4 times by Stafford and caught 3 of them for just 23 yards. The Rams will face the Jags next week, who allow 22.1 fantasy points per game to opposing WRs.