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    Pelissero: Nacua expected to avoid exempt list

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    LA Wide Receiver #12
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    The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reports Puka Nacua is expected to avoid the commissioner’s exempt list to begin the regular season.

    Three players landed on what amounts to the “suspended with pay” list on Sunday, but Pelissero reports Nacua isn’t one of them. That does not necessarily mean Nacua is out of the woods for all time with the NFL, but his situation did not rise to the level of Josh Jacobs’ in the eyes of the shield. Now the main Week 1 question mark for Nacua is his groin injury, but it is not expected to keep him out of the Rams’ Australian opener vs. the 49ers.
Jackson punches Chubb after Rams' loss to Bills
Mike Florio and Chris Simms react to Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson punching Bradley Chubb after Bills vs. Rams and discuss how Jackson's previous track record plays into things.

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  • LA Wide Receiver #12
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    Nacua operated as the primary option through the air for a Rams team that attempted more than 50 passes for the third straight game. The veteran alpha was mostly confined to short-area work, something that could be attributed to the groin injury that continues to have his name on the injury report in practice, but that would not keep Nacua from returning another elite WR1 performance. Nacua was also inches away from padding his stat line further after failing to come down with what would have been a 51-yard touchdown reception on the final play of the first half. Nacua and the Rams fall to 2-3 ahead of a Week 6 divisional showdown against the Cardinals, where he will remain one of the top fantasy assets in the league.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Nacua’s rushing score came on a second quarter end-around. Out there for the first time since Week 1, Nacua did what he always seems to do when active and post a dominant statline. We say “active” rather than “healthy,” as FOX’s Erin Andrews confirmed during the broadcast Nacua is dealing with some sort of sports-hernia situation. That could make him something of a week-to-week proposition but hopefully the superstar wideout has found some way to manage the pain for the rest of the season. He has a Week 5 smash spot in the Bills’ shootout-prone defense. He will also have an extra day to get healthy with the game taking place on Monday Night Football.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Andrews broke the news while reporting from the sideline of the Rams’ Week 4 game against the Eagles. Signs have been pointing to this type of injury for a while now, with the Rams referring to Nacua’s nagging injury as both a hip and groin issue. Just over two minutes remain in the third quarter, and Nacua has only come off the field for a few plays thus far. It appears as though the team has handled the injury well, though one imagines re-injury risk is still a factor. That said, he is a WR1 whenever he is active.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Looks like we’ve got ourselves an old-fashioned source-off here. Schefter says Nacua won’t be limited, while The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero said over the weekend that Nacua may be on “a stricter snap count than usual.” Even if his snaps are cut back, Nacua is one of the best per-route receivers in the NFL. He will get by for fantasy managers in whatever role the Rams give him. He is, at worst, a low-end WR1 for Week 4.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Rams HC Sean McVay said Nacua, who has been dealing with a groin injury, is good to go after getting a full practice in on Friday. The coach also noted that they’re still working through Nacua’s snap count and now Pelissero reports that it could be stricter than usual. Fantasy managers should still treat Nacua as a high-end WR1 even in a difficult matchup against the Eagles in Week 4.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Nacua will return after getting in a Friday full practice and should be a WR1 play, even against the Eagles’ vaunted secondary. McVay noted that they are still working through how they will navigate his snap count, so Davante Adams should remain near the WR1 line this week as they reintegrate Nacua. But nobody is sitting Puka Nacua in a standard league.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Scheelhaase also said that Nacua “twisted” to catch a pass thrown behind him yesterday, which the offensive coordinator took as a good sign. Nacua is on track to face the Eagles in Week 4. As long as he gets through the practice week without suffering a setback, Nacua is an elite WR1 this week.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    McVay also said that Nacua will be limited at today’s practice. Nacua has not played since injuring his groin in Week 1 against the 49ers. If active in Week 4, he will be a no-brainer WR1, though it would be great to see him log two full practice sessions over the next two days. The Rams’ pass-catching corps has dealt with an influx of injuries in recent weeks. Getting their star player back would be huge.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    We continue to get very little concrete news from McVay and the Rams regarding the injury, expected status, or recovery timeline for star wide receiver Puka Nacua. The most conclusive information given the previous two weeks is that the groin injury Nacua is dealing with is not related to the psoas injury he dealt with this offseason, although some have speculated that the verbiage used to describe the injury sounded like a sports hernia. Even that is pure speculation. Fantasy managers are left waiting in the holding pattern for more concrete news from their first-round fantasy selection. Davante Adams would clearly be in line to benefit from another absence after setting a career-high in receiving yards in consecutive games the previous two weeks.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Nacua came into the weekend listed as doubtful but was seen working out before the game to see if he would be able to go. He’ll ultimately be held out for the second consecutive game as the Rams look to improve to 2-1. Davante Adams vaults into the top-tier WR1 range in Nacua’s absence. Also inactive for the Rams are DB Kam Kinchens, WR CJ Daniels, WR Tutu Atwell, QB Ty Simpson, S Maximus Pulley, and OL Bill Murray

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  • JAC Offensive Lineman #77
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    Jaguars OL Anton Harrison will undergo knee surgery and will miss at least 3-5 weeks.

    Harrison, who sustained the injury in Week 5 against the Eagles, could miss the rest of the season once doctors determine the severity of his knee injury, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Harrison had protected Trevor Lawrence’s blindside before the injury. His absence could be a problem for a Jacksonville offensive line that has the league’s third worst pass blocking win rate.
  • LA Wide Receiver #17
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    Davante Adams caught 5-of-7 targets for 51 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Bills.

    Adams cashed in on a corner fade from four yards out in the second quarter and ran a beautiful route on a double move slant from five yards out for his second score in the fourth quarter, proving that he remains an elite red zone weapon for an offense that has now attempted 51 or more passes in three straight games. Adams is back to modest target rates following the Week 4 return of Puka Nacua but remains a weekly WR2 due to his red zone acumen, which remains true ahead of a much more forgiving matchup against the Cardinals in Week 6.
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    Tyler Higbee caught 5-of-6 targets for 83 yards in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Bills.

    Higbee continued to operate as the primary pass-catching tight end against the Bills, something that must please fantasy managers considering Colby Parkinson returned from a one-game absence. Furthermore, the team carried only three tight ends on the active game-day roster after being at either four or five through the first month of the 2026 season. Higbee is a middling TE2 in fantasy circles ahead of a juicy matchup against the divisional rival Cardinals in Week 6.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
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    Puka Nacua caught 17-of-24 targets for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Bills, adding nine yards on two carries.

    Nacua operated as the primary option through the air for a Rams team that attempted more than 50 passes for the third straight game. The veteran alpha was mostly confined to short-area work, something that could be attributed to the groin injury that continues to have his name on the injury report in practice, but that would not keep Nacua from returning another elite WR1 performance. Nacua was also inches away from padding his stat line further after failing to come down with what would have been a 51-yard touchdown reception on the final play of the first half. Nacua and the Rams fall to 2-3 ahead of a Week 6 divisional showdown against the Cardinals, where he will remain one of the top fantasy assets in the league.
  • LA Running Back #24
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    Blake Corum rushed five times for 19 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Bills, adding 53 yards on three receptions.

    Corum provided a much needed spark in relief of lead back Kyren Williams, contributing three clutch receptions that kept drives alive in addition to a third quarter touchdown. That said, his modest volume continued while Williams turned in a third straight game with 20 or more opportunities, including 28 total targets in that stretch. Corum remains a top fantasy handcuff but is unlikely to return useful fantasy weeks for as long as Williams is healthy.
  • LA Running Back #23
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    Kyren Williams rushed 16 times for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Bills, adding 27 yards on six receptions.

    Williams has yet to see more than the 16 carries he saw against the Bills this season but the team’s recent pass-heavy nature has left the veteran lead back with six or more receptions in three straight games, including 27 total targets in that span. The elite-level aerial volume made it three consecutive games with 20 or more opportunities for Williams, who continues to return RB1 fantasy weeks while playing in one of the league’s top offenses. Williams remains a middling RB1 ahead of a Week 6 divisional showdown against the Cardinals at home.
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    Matthew Stafford completed 40-of-54 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns in the Rams’ 37-34, Week 5 loss to the Bills.

    It was the third consecutive game in which Stafford attempted 51 passes or more in what has become the most voluminous passing offense in the league. The two powerhouses felt each other out throughout the first half as only 20 combined points per scored before the break. Things would get aggressive for the final 30 minutes as seven combined touchdowns were scored on nine second half possessions, four of which were accounted for by the Rams. Stafford directed a whopping 24 targets toward alpha wide receiver Puka Nacua, who set a career high with 17 receptions in a short-area role. The reigning MVP returned an instant classic performance against the 2024 MVP, ultimately coming up short in overtime following a blocked field goal attempt from Harrison Mevis. The Rams fall to 2-3 ahead of a home matchup against the more forgiving Cardinals in Week 6. Stafford is once again a fantasy QB1 in that matchup.
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    Dalton Kincaid caught 1-of-2 targets for seven yards in the Bills’ Week 5 win over the Rams.

    The Bills clearly came into this one intent on establishing the run, attempting 37 rushes to just 19 Josh Allen pass attempts in a game played without both DJ Moore and Joshua Palmer. Kincaid has now seen three or fewer targets in each of his last three games after erupting for 225 yards through the air in the first two weeks. The ceiling was never in question, but fantasy managers have to be reeling after three consecutive down performances for the enigmatic tight end. Kincaid remains an upside TE1 ahead of a Week 6 meeting with the Raiders.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #0
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    Keon Coleman caught 1-of-2 targets for seven yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ Week 5 win over the Rams.

    Coleman was largely erased by the lockdown corner play of the Rams but had a receiving line also heavily influenced by a ground-heavy game plan from a Bills team that attempted only 19 passes in almost 70 minutes of football. It was quite the letdown fantasy performance for managers looking to take advantage of the absences of both DJ Moore and Joshua Palmer. Coleman is a borderline FLEX play in Week 6 against the Raiders, pending the status of Moore.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #10
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    Khalil Shakir caught all three targets for 80 yards in the Bills’ Week 5 win over the Rams.

    Shakir’s modest target total was primarily a product of a ground-heavy approach from the Bills, who were playing without both DJ Moore and Joshua Palmer. His quiet fantasy outing was quickly remedied through a 57-yard, catch-and-run reception on the team’s second possession of overtime to set up the game-winning, Tyler Bass field goal. Shakir remains a shaky fantasy bet ahead of a Week 6 meeting with the Raiders.