Nacua goes on IR. Hold him, and don't chase the Rams' receivers

On Wednesday Sean McVay said Nacua would stay on the active roster. On Thursday the Rams put him on injured reserve anyway, so they could sign Brennan Presley. That rules him out for Arizona, Green Bay, Kansas City and San Francisco, with the Week 11 bye in the middle. The first game he's allowed back for is Dallas on 20 December.

It's a brutal time to lose him. Puka Nacua caught 14 of 19 targets for 150 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, and his 70 catches are the most anyone has ever had through seven games of a season.

Hold him, whatever your window

This is a sprain, not a tear. If you're contending, an IR slot costs you nothing, and a healthy Nacua for the fantasy playoffs is worth more than anything you'll get for him this week. If you're rebuilding, his price has only dropped because of a date on the calendar. He's still a 25-year-old who catches ten balls a game. Anyone offering you a discount should be told no.

What's left in Los Angeles

Not much. With Davante Adams still on IR, the healthy receivers are Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith and a sixth-round rookie. On Sunday Nacua got 19 targets. Atwell got five and Mumpfield got two.

Atwell is the one to add, and only in deep leagues. He played 47% of the snaps in Washington, more than any receiver bar Nacua, and he's the only one who stretches the field. He's a flex with a wide range, not a starter.

The better bet is that the ball goes somewhere other than the receivers. In the two games after Adams went down, Rams tight ends caught 14 of Matthew Stafford's completions and receivers other than Nacua caught three. Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson split that work, which makes both touchdown-or-nothing plays. Both are on the injury report, so check Friday before you stream either.

Kyren Williams should see more of the ball too. He's an RB1 at Arizona.

Stafford and Adams

Stafford drops to a mid-range QB2 in superflex. In one-quarterback leagues he's a streamer at Arizona, not someone you start over a settled QB1.

The good news is Adams. McVay said this week that a return after the Week 12 game against Green Bay is "a realistic timeline", which puts him on course for Kansas City on 3 December. If you've been holding him, keep holding. He's the receiver who'll lift this offence back up before Nacua does.

↳ Adams back first, then Nacua