The heart of fantasy football draft season is just a couple of weeks away. FantasyPros analysts Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice and Mike Maher continue a series of preseason roundtables by discussing QB strategy, players they’re second-guessing and offense that could be sneaky sources of fantasy football goodness. And check out last week’s fantasy football roundtable for even more expert advice.
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Fantasy Football Advice
What is your assessment of the draft value of Rams WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Nacua has an ADP of WR7, No. 13 overall, in half-point PPR leagues. Kupp’s ADP is WR21, No. 41 overall.
Avoiding both Rams WRs
Pat Fitzmaurice: Puka Nacua’s sensational rookie season was no fluke — the dude is seriously talented — but I’ve been steering around him at the 1/2 turn because I’m worried that Nacua could be out-targeted by a healthy Cooper Kupp.
But I’m not that interested in drafting Kupp, either. The 31-year-old Kupp has missed 13 games with ankle and hamstring maladies over the last two seasons, and his current price doesn’t offer enough of an injury discount for me to bite.
Mike Maher: I don’t envision drafting much of either player based on where they’re going.
I don’t think Puka Nacua is a fluke by any means, but I don’t know that I’m ready to spend a late first-round pick in order to draft him this year, especially since he is already banged up.
When it comes to Kupp, the price tag feels a bit more reasonable, at least until you consider some of the WRs being drafted around him: Jaylen Waddle, Michael Pittman Jr., DeVonta Smith, Malik Nabers. I prefer most or all of those WRs to Kupp this year because I can’t unsee what I saw last year. Kupp isn’t exactly ancient at 31 years old, but he’s dealt with some injuries throughout his career and likely isn’t someone who can afford to lose much athletically. If he really has lost a step, we’ve seen the end of elite production from Kupp.
Andrew Erickson: I wrote this in my WRs to Avoid piece regarding the Rams WRs: “I feel confident that at least one of the Rams WRs — in one way or another — will not meet their ADP expectations in 2024.”
And that was before the Puka Nacua knee injury. Given that both guys are super expensive, with their ADPs likely converging with Kupp’s health in a better situation than Nacua’s, I’m cool fading these guys for fear that I draft the one who hurts my team. Sure, I’ll miss out on the one that ultimately does pay off, but there are plenty of other great non-Rams players in the same ADP ranges I can draft to make up the ground. But most importantly, I am avoiding potential landmines.
Drinking the Puka Juice
Derek Brown: Nacua’s recent knee injury has given me some small worries, but assuming that we can trust Sean McVay (I think we can), then I’m still all in on Nacua leading this passing attack in 2024.
We always say invest in talented rookie wide receivers entering their second season in the NFL. Well, we should certainly be doing so with a player who smashed multiple rookie receiving records last season.
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