Rams' Fantasy Football Outlook After Puka Nacua Injury and Down Showing: Jordan Whittington, Tyler Higbee and More

The Los Angeles Rams looked to have the ideal fantasy football situation heading into week 6.

Not only were they playing a Baltimore Ravens defense that's struggled to slow teams, but they were also without Lamar Jackson again. It was a perfect time for the Rams' offense to go off in a lopsided game.

Instead, the Rams' offense struggled, and star wideout Puka Nacua got injured. What's the fantasy football fallout from those things? Let's dive in!

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The Game Numbers

Los Angeles only gained 241 total yards of offense in its 17-3 win over Baltimore. The Rams threw for just 167 net yards, while rushing for 74 yards.

Again, in a super favorable matchup, that was a big disappointment for fans and fantasy owners of Rams' offensive players.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford was 17-of-26 passing for 181 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. He gained a yard on four rushing attempts. Stafford was sacked twice - he also fumbled twice, losing one of them.

Running back Kyren Williams had an OK fantasy showing. He rushed for 50 yards and a score on 13 carries, while adding 37 yards on his two catches and targets. The touchdown really saved his fantasy outing.

Backup RB Blake Corum had five carries for 23 yards and wasn't involved in the passing game.

Nacua had 28 yards on two catches and three targets before leaving the game. He briefly returned before being ruled out for good after 27 offensive snaps. 

Davante Adams only had 39 yards on four catches and nine targets. 

Tight end Tyler Higbee was the top fantasy pass catcher for LA, catching all four of his targets for 40 yards and a score.

Jordan Whittington had 23 yards on three grabs and four targets. Davis Allen and Konata Mumpfield had a seven-yard catch across two targets each. 

Nacua's Injury

The injury is being labeled an ankle injury, and coach Sean McVay says Nacua's status for week 7 is to be determined. The Rams play in London against the Jaguars next week.

McVay also said Nacua could have gutted through the injury, so it doesn't appear to be anything too serious at this point. Nacua didn't speak with the media after the contest.

Nacua's injury status will need to be monitored throughout the week. The Rams are 4-2, so there's a chance they could play things safe with Nacua, but 4-2 is tied with San Francisco and Seattle for the top spot in the division right now, so LA also needs to put its best players on the field to keep pace with those teams.

Rams' Fantasy Outlooks Going Forward

Let's start with who to possibly add with Nacua maybe out for a week or two.

If you are looking for a waiver wire receiver in LA, Whittington is the guy you want. He played 92% of the team's snaps this week, and could be the guy who replaces a lot of the Nacua snaps. He's available in just about every league at this point. 

Adams is the most likely pass catcher to replace Nacua's production, should he miss the next game. Adams has obviously been a WR1 in the past, and could power the Rams if he needs to. If Nacua ends up being ruled out, it will be tempting for Adams' fantasy owners to sell high, but I'd prefer to keep Adams, as he's a good weekly starting option even with Nacua around.

I think Higbee is the other pass catcher who could be worth adding if Nacua ends up missing any time. The tight end fared pretty well on Sunday, and could end up as the best fantasy asset outside Adams. At a weak fantasy TE spot, Higbee will already be added in a bunch of leagues, but the Nacua injury means he should be added in even more leagues going into week 7.

Running backs Williams and Corum could be more involved as well. Williams is already a must-start fantasy asset every week, and it'd take a lot to trade for him. Corum is available in a good amount of leagues, so he could be a sneaky good pickup if Nacua ends up missing week 7.

Xavier Smith and Mumpfield are the wideouts who played the next-most snaps on Sunday for the Rams, but they each played less than tight ends Allen and Terrance Ferguson. I don't see any of those guys being involved enough to be worth starting in any fantasy leagues. I'd actually only want to add them in redraft leagues if Nacua was set to miss multiple weeks, and even then, they should only be starting in the deepest leagues out there.

Stafford's fantasy outlook took a hit on Sunday, and without Nacua, his outlook would be even lower. He was a good starting option in all leagues for week 6, but is back to being an average option after that down showing. If Nacua is out, I'd drop Stafford down a couple more pegs.

Final Thoughts

The Rams' offense really disappointed from a fantasy perspective in week 6, and the injury to Nacua complicates matters going into week 7.

Guys like Adams and Williams would benefit from Nacua being out, but they are already pretty good starting options, so their outlook is really only slightly up.

Stafford dropped in fantasy value after week 6, and Nacua being out would make it even tougher to justify starting Stafford in week 7.

Whittington and Higbee are the two waiver wire options I'd look into adding. Whittington is an option because of the injury to Nacua, while Higbee rises for that reason and because of his good showing in week 6.

I wouldn't worry a ton about the Rams' offense because of this performance. I'd expect better fantasy showings in week 7 and beyond, so look to buy low on guys instead of panicking too much on anyone's down performance.