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WR Puka Nacua LAR (1 Viewer)

Puka Nacua (shoulder) was upgraded to “full” for Thursday’s practice.
This, after coach Sean McVay said Nacua was full on Wednesday even though he was listed as “limited.” Although Nacua is more of a WR2 than WR1 for Sunday’s brutal Ravens matchup, he is in zero danger of sitting.
 
Puka Nacua (shoulder) was upgraded to “full” for Thursday’s practice.
This, after coach Sean McVay said Nacua was full on Wednesday even though he was listed as “limited.” Although Nacua is more of a WR2 than WR1 for Sunday’s brutal Ravens matchup, he is in zero danger of sitting.
I remember Stafford being absolutely brutal in fantasy playoffs a few years ago against the ravens. Hope puka can have a decent floor but may put Sutton in over him due to matchup
 
I wonder how often a big game for a rookie’s debut translates into a quality FF starter during their first year?

I remember Anquan Boldin’s 10 catches for 217 yard in his first game in 2003 and how he had a great season. I passed on him at the time.

So I asked chatGPT to search for all rookie WRs with eight or more catches in their first game and got seven instances including one from a RB.

As of my last update in January 2022, several rookie wide receivers had 8 or more receptions in their NFL debuts. Here are some of them:
  1. Earl Cooper (1980) - San Francisco 49ers: 12 receptions. (Note: While Cooper was primarily a running back, he caught these passes in his debut.)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003) - Arizona Cardinals: 10 receptions.
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019) - Washington Redskins: 9 receptions.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013) - Houston Texans: 8 receptions.
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017) - Detroit Lions: 8 receptions.
  6. Michael Thomas (2016) - New Orleans Saints: 8 receptions.
  7. Eddie Royal (2008) - Denver Broncos: 8 receptions.

Here are their rookie stats…
  1. Earl Cooper (1980, San Francisco 49ers):
    • Receptions: 83
    • Receiving Yards: 567
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 4 (Note: These stats blend receiving with his primary role as a running back)
  2. Anquan Boldin (2003, Arizona Cardinals):
    • Receptions: 101
    • Receiving Yards: 1,377
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 8
  3. Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Redskins):
    • Receptions: 58
    • Receiving Yards: 919
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 7
  4. DeAndre Hopkins (2013, Houston Texans):
    • Receptions: 52
    • Receiving Yards: 802
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 2
  5. Kenny Golladay (2017, Detroit Lions):
    • Receptions: 28
    • Receiving Yards: 477
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 3
  6. Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints):
    • Receptions: 92
    • Receiving Yards: 1,137
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 9
  7. Eddie Royal (2008, Denver Broncos):
    • Receptions: 91
    • Receiving Yards: 980
    • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
From purely a statistical perspective, presuming this is a good sample and the right cutoff of eight catches in a rookie debut, then it could be argued that there is a reasonable possibility that Nacua will put up comparable numbers to his predecessors. IF I accept this argument (and I do), then it looks like Nacua is a pretty good bet to pickup on waivers.

So the next question is…how much to bid out of $100 in a FAAB waiver system?
Was wasting time browsing this thread, & found this nice and very relevant post. The only question at this point is will he catch Q? He’s on track. To everybody that bid +50% of their WW budget on him, congrats!

( I should add that I was initially focused on trolling everyone who sold early for a 3rd round pick, but that seemed kind of mean.)
 
WR Puka Nacua (LAR vs NO) vs Isaac Yiadom

The Rams have been on a tear lately and playing some of their best football of the season. However, they are walking into one of the toughest matchups for receivers in the league. New Orleans has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers and has been downright dominant against the perimeter. Marshon Lattimore could return from the IR this week, but Yiadom has played extremely well and has more than earned playing time going forward. Cooper Kupp sees less of a downgrade in the slot, but both Nacua and Demarcus Robinson should be downgraded on the perimeter against this stout defense.
 
Another one of my misses. I watched tape. I talked to coaches. I talked to family. I concluded he was gonna be one of the better real life wrs over fantasy starter. I had no idea this fantasy darling was gonna be so productive. Well done boys who saw it differently.
 
Another one of my misses. I watched tape. I talked to coaches. I talked to family. I concluded he was gonna be one of the better real life wrs over fantasy starter. I had no idea this fantasy darling was gonna be so productive. Well done boys who saw it differently.
I never heard of him until he went for $1 at the end of my auction. After that, I looked into him, and a few weeks later I took him in the 19th and last round of my main redraft league. Where he just scored 33 points for me in the semis.
 
Was wasting time browsing this thread, & found this nice and very relevant post. The only question at this point is will he catch Q? He’s on track. To everybody that bid +50% of their WW budget on him, congrats!

Thanks man! That analysis was fun to put together and consider the implications for Nacua. Bolden’s breakout game really stuck with me over the years so when Nacua’s debut of 10/15 119 yards raised eyes, it definitely got my wheels turnIng. Although it’s really a topic for a different thread, I think there is a lot of merit to acquiring players based on outstanding early season performances even if they turn out to be aberrations. Acquiring Nacua based on his impressive debut game being an outstanding example of making that kind of bet on waivers. I think LaPorta could have been identified as such but I missed it. I took a long hard look at him after week 1 and 2 but I didn’t bite and he was acquired elsewhere. A similar analysis to Nacua may have better uncovered him too as two five catch games for a rookie is pretty rare. I just didn’t dig into the numbers enough to appreciate it at the start of the season. At this point, I’ve started to bake in waiver finds like these guys into my redraft strategy. I prioritize draft dollars on blue chip RBs at the expense of putting capital to my WR3 and WR4 positions with the idea that I’ll use waiver dollars as a second draft of WRs during the year. That strategy worked great in the case of Nacua and it made paying 53% FAAB more than worthwhile.
 
Pukatomic!! Nacua delivers a HUGE game at the most opportune time in FF playoffs which is semi-finals for my league. What a player!

If this kid has a big game next week, he’ll be one of the greatest draft day or waiver wire picks of all time.

And imagine what would happen if Nacua actually started to score TDs on pace with his receptions and yards.
 
On my bench this week… even though only 1 player has gone in our matchup it feels like I’ve already lost
Wtf did you start over him?
It came down to him or Waddle for me, and because of the matchup and recent scoring I went with Waddle. It may turn out OK, but I highly doubt Waddle outscores Puka.
Man Waddle has had one good week all year and that was without Tyreek playing. Plus Dallas got destroyed on ground not air. I wouldve never did that but hindsight 2020. Good luck.
 
On my bench this week… even though only 1 player has gone in our matchup it feels like I’ve already lost
Wtf did you start over him?
It came down to him or Waddle for me, and because of the matchup and recent scoring I went with Waddle. It may turn out OK, but I highly doubt Waddle outscores Puka.
Man Waddle has had one good week all year and that was without Tyreek playing. Plus Dallas got destroyed on ground not air. I wouldve never did that but hindsight 2020. Good luck.
Sucky decision, but their performance has not been extremely lopsided. Plus with Kupp "rising", lol.
Last five in half pt:
Puka: 16.2/4.7/21.9/11.5/7.8
Waddle: 7.5/15.4/7.7/10.9/24.2
 
On my bench this week… even though only 1 player has gone in our matchup it feels like I’ve already lost
Wtf did you start over him?
It came down to him or Waddle for me, and because of the matchup and recent scoring I went with Waddle. It may turn out OK, but I highly doubt Waddle outscores Puka.
Man Waddle has had one good week all year and that was without Tyreek playing. Plus Dallas got destroyed on ground not air. I wouldve never did that but hindsight 2020. Good luck.
Sucky decision, but their performance has not been extremely lopsided. Plus with Kupp "rising", lol.
Last five in half pt:
Puka: 16.2/4.7/21.9/11.5/7.8
Waddle: 7.5/15.4/7.7/10.9/24.2
Thats fine. Like I said I dont count last week since Hill was out and Nacua outscored him 3 of those 4 weeks. But I just checked and fantasypros had Waddle ranked higher so what do I know. You didnt have a flex spot open? Team must be stacked (which is possible since youre in final 4).
 
On my bench this week… even though only 1 player has gone in our matchup it feels like I’ve already lost
Wtf did you start over him?
It came down to him or Waddle for me, and because of the matchup and recent scoring I went with Waddle. It may turn out OK, but I highly doubt Waddle outscores Puka.
Man Waddle has had one good week all year and that was without Tyreek playing. Plus Dallas got destroyed on ground not air. I wouldve never did that but hindsight 2020. Good luck.
Sucky decision, but their performance has not been extremely lopsided. Plus with Kupp "rising", lol.
Last five in half pt:
Puka: 16.2/4.7/21.9/11.5/7.8
Waddle: 7.5/15.4/7.7/10.9/24.2
Thats fine. Like I said I dont count last week since Hill was out and Nacua outscored him 3 of those 4 weeks. But I just checked and fantasypros had Waddle ranked higher so what do I know. You didnt have a flex spot open? Team must be stacked (which is possible since youre in final 4).
At WR I have ARSB and Deebo. Flex either Achane or Kelce. Team started 1-5, but finished 7-6 in 3rd place with #1 high score and #1 points against. Each playoff round is two weeks, so hopefully I can ride out the Puka blunder in this 1st week of finals.
 
On my bench this week… even though only 1 player has gone in our matchup it feels like I’ve already lost
Wtf did you start over him?
It came down to him or Waddle for me, and because of the matchup and recent scoring I went with Waddle. It may turn out OK, but I highly doubt Waddle outscores Puka.
I hope Waddle outscores Puka this week, for your sake!

-Puka and Waddle owner who is starting both in my main money league
 
Who’s a good comp for Puka?
:confused:
Anquan Bolden

Great hands
Physical
Good YAC
Not blazing fast
I considered Bolden. Puka seems like a better route runner, and isn’t as big/thick.

Puka’s 6’2”, 205
Boldin 6’1, 220

Puka ran a 4.57, Boldin a blazing 4.71
I actually like the Boldin call for the physicality, a guy I always thought was Boldin Lite maybe applies, but Pooka already better I'd say but maybe Hakeem Nicks?
 
Who’s a good comp for Puka?
:confused:
Anquan Bolden

Great hands
Physical
Good YAC
Not blazing fast
I considered Bolden. Puka seems like a better route runner, and isn’t as big/thick.

Puka’s 6’2”, 205
Boldin 6’1, 220

Puka ran a 4.57, Boldin a blazing 4.71
I actually like the Boldin call for the physicality, a guy I always thought was Boldin Lite maybe applies, but Pooka already better I'd say but maybe Hakeem Nicks?
Loved Hakeem
 
On my bench this week… even though only 1 player has gone in our matchup it feels like I’ve already lost
Wtf did you start over him?
DJ Moore, Rashee Rice and Amari Cooper
I would've 100% started him over Cooper not even a question in my mind
I looked in a few spots and they all had them 1-3 spots apart but everyone had NO ranked as one of the worst WR matchups plus Cooper’s targets with Flacco have been way up. But yeah now I wish regret that decision obviously lol.
 
Anyone have Nacua's contact info...I will buy his family Bill Groman jerseys this week. Bring back his legacy and give Puka something to chase.
 
Up'd my Puka bids after week 1 based on the 'all plays' YouTube film, which showed he was a couple hairs away from two TDs that first week. Had either of those TDs hit, he'd have gone for 50+. Had both hit, he'd have gone for 100.

Bolden, Nicks and Deebo are all decent comps. TO and Dez Bryant are two others. Rugged is the best word to describe all these WRs, and Puka is the latest iteration.
 
Up'd my Puka bids after week 1 based on the 'all plays' YouTube film, which showed he was a couple hairs away from two TDs that first week. Had either of those TDs hit, he'd have gone for 50+. Had both hit, he'd have gone for 100.

Bolden, Nicks and Deebo are all decent comps. TO and Dez Bryant are two others. Rugged is the best word to describe all these WRs, and Puka is the latest iteration.
Me too, I owe a debt of gratitude :bow: to whomever posted that, I only had to bid $42 but I think the next highest was 11 (wtf). My league is notoriously stingy, I go Kyren the same week for $25
 
Up'd my Puka bids after week 1 based on the 'all plays' YouTube film, which showed he was a couple hairs away from two TDs that first week. Had either of those TDs hit, he'd have gone for 50+. Had both hit, he'd have gone for 100.

Bolden, Nicks and Deebo are all decent comps. TO and Dez Bryant are two others. Rugged is the best word to describe all these WRs, and Puka is the latest iteration.
Me too, I owe a debt of gratitude :bow: to whomever posted that, I only had to bid $42 but I think the next highest was 11 (wtf). My league is notoriously stingy, I go Kyren the same week for $25
Most years, the vast majority of the best WW players become apparent after week 1. And the vast majority of FF players still don’t understand that.
 
Puka and Ford have been my waiver wire finds. LaPorta and Achane were late round fliers. Stafford had Puka wide open for a TD so his totals could have been 10-195-2 TDs or something like that
 

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