Puka Nacua Injury Update: When Will WR Return to Rams?

Puka Nacua has emerged as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL these past few years. The 24-year-old Rams star was looking like the top WR in fantasy football this season before going down with a left ankle injury in Week 6 against Baltimore. Below, we will dish out a Nacua injury update with information on when he will return and be back in a Rams uniform. We will also explore Nacua’s fantasy prospects and look at Rams betting odds.

🩹 When will Puka Nacua return and be back with Rams?

Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Monday that Nacua is expected to practice on Wednesday and be able to play this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

The Rams did not elect to place Nacua on IR after he sprained his left ankle. McVay described the injury as “day-to-day” at the time and said that it was not a longterm situation.

McVay also told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Oct. 17 that Nacua was “making good progress” in his recovery from the injury, and that he was “optimistic about hopefully having him ready after the bye.”

The Rams had their bye this past weekend, so it appears there have been no setbacks in his recovery.

McVay has been recently preaching that Nacua’s absence in the lineup could actually help the team in the long run.

“I think what ended up happening is sometimes these things that are challenges can be blessings in disguise," McVay told the Rich Eisen Show. "What I mean by that is we’re always going to have Puka. When he’s up, as a focal point, but also, hey let’s let’s not in the meantime lose sight of, you know, we’ve got Puka, we’ve got Davante [Adams] but we’ve got these other players that we want to take advantage of.

“We’ve got these great players that we want to take advantage of them, and I thought that was illustrated by being able to have multiple personnel groupings, multiple guys involved, and where they’ve got some plays where they could maybe be the primary in a progression. Then it allows those other guys to be a little bit fresher.”

Here is a look at the Saints’ upcoming schedule.

• Week 9 Sunday, Nov. 2: New Orleans Saints at LA Rams
• Week 10 Sunday, Nov. 9: LA Rams at San Francisco 49ers
• Week 11 Sunday, Nov. 16: Seattle Seahawks at LA Rams

⏳ How long will Puka Nacua be out for?

The Rams simply called this an “ankle injury” from the jump but it is believed to have been a mild sprain. It typically takes 1-3 weeks to recover from a mild sprained ankle.

Detroit Lions TE Sam Laporta suffered a mild sprained ankle at the beginning of last season, and he was able to play the very next week.

Had Nacua suffered a high ankle sprain, he would likely be projected to be out much longer. Even a mild high ankle sprain typically takes players 6-8 weeks to recover from.

🏈 Puka Nacua fantasy football outlook

Despite the injury, Nacua is still owned in 100% of Yahoo! fantasy leagues. In six games played so far this season, he has gone for over 100 yards receiving in half of them.

Excluding the Baltimore game in which he was injured, Nacua is averaging 117.6 receiving yards per game this season.

Nacua was a first or second round pick in most 12-team PPR fantasy football drafts this past summer.

🐏 Rams betting odds

Super Bowl odds show the Rams at +1100 to win it all. That is the seventh lowest number at the best NFL betting sites.

McVay’s crew has a current win total projection of 11.5. The Rams are favorites to win the NFC West as they own a +105 price.