Fantasy Football Rookie News: Puka Nacua, Dalton Kincaid, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, C.J. Stroud

Let’s take a look at the latest news and notes around fantasy football. To stay up to date on all of the latest fantasy football news, be sure to follow @FantasyProsNFL on Twitter and bookmark the FantasyPros NFL Player News page.

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Fantasy Football News

Check out the latest news and notes around the NFL.

Puka Nacua receiving heavy workload in camp

According to team reporter Stu Jackson, the Los Angeles Rams have tested and given a large workload to WR Puka Nacua over the offseason.

Fantasy Impact

Nacua, a fifth-round pick out of BYU, could out-snap his draft capital early in his career. Nacua was a fairly productive WR in college at both BYU and Washington, but he fits well into the Rams’ system as a Robert Woods-esque player. The rookie has an aggression when run blocking and is a skilled runner with the football – rushing for five TDs in 2022 – that will help him see the field early in Sean McVay’s offense. The question for him in his rookie year isn’t whether he will see the field, it’s whether he will translate snaps to stats or if he’ll stay healthy, a struggle of his in college.

Jordan Epp

Dalton Kincaid seeing consistent targets in Bills’ practice

The Bills’ rookie tight end, Dalton Kincaid, has been seeing consistent targets from QB Josh Allen in practice, according to The Athletic.

Fantasy Impact

The early targets for Kincaid from his new QB are a great sign for the chemistry between the two, as the season approaches. Rookie tight ends have a poor track record in general, and fantasy football is no exception, but if Kincaid can get a rapport going with Allen he could be serviceable at fantasy’s weakest position. Kincaid may be worth a late-round flyer and has an obvious upside in dynasty formats.

Sammy Schulman

Jaxon Smith-Njigba earns early praise from Geno Smith

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has earned early praise from QB Geno Smith after his impressive start to training camp.

Fantasy Impact

Smith-Njigba, who was a first-round pick for the Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been the talk of Seattle’s training camp after making multiple impressive plays in the first few days that they’ve been practicing. He earned praise from starting QB Geno Smith, which is a great sign for his development and role on the team. We could see the rookie become a key part of this offense sooner rather than later if he can continue on his current trajectory for the season.

Leo Sells

C.J. Stroud: Texans not naming rookie QB the starter just yet

The Texans have not yet named rookie C.J. Stroud the starting quarterback for the 2023 season.

Fantasy Impact

Houston is reportedly in no rush to name a starting quarterback, despite taking C.J. Stroud with the second-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s reportedly splitting first team reps with veteran Davis Mills right now, and it’s unclear when the team intends on announcing their starter. The rookie will probably end up being the starter for the Texans, but it’s less than ideal that he’s not getting all of the quality reps at practice.

Leo Sells