5 Rams Players Who Could Replace Puka Nacua Against the Giants

The Los Angeles Rams could be without wide receiver Puka Nacua on Monday night against the New York Giants. Nacua popped up on the injury report with a hip injury this week. Right now, it appears Nacua is trending toward not playing in Week 2. If the Rams are without Nacua, they’ll need a handful of players to step up in his place. Here are five players who could replace Nacua.

WR Tutu Atwell

It’s hard to place too many expectations on Tutu Atwell against the Giants. At the end of the day, he is the WR7 on the roster. Still, this is something that he’s done before and found success with. In 2024 with Nacua out, Atwell was the Rams’ leading receiver with 17 receptions for 281 yards.

The Rams traded for Atwell for times like this, as he is experienced depth and knows the system. With that said, Atwell has fallen out of favor in the offense over the last two years. While he may run some routes in Nacua’s absence, he likely won’t be a focal point.

TE Terrance Ferguson

Heading into the offseason, there were fewer players with bigger expectations than Terrance Ferguson. However, Ferguson had zero receptions and was targeted just once against the 49ers. The Rams entered the season light at the wide receiver position with the idea that they would use heavier tight end sets on offense. While they may not have had a true WR3, Ferguson was seen as the de facto third wide receiver.

If Nacua is out, the Rams need Ferguson to step up. He showed how he can threaten a defense down the field in a small sample size last season. With the Rams thin at wide receiver, this is Ferguson’s opportunity.

WR Konata Mumpfield

The Rams seem to like what Mumpfield can bring to the table. He’s alignment-versatile and can be a threat at all three levels, but especially in the short and intermediate areas. Mumpfield may be listed behind Davante Adams on the depth chart, but he should be able to contribute in a Nacua-like role. His smaller size makes him less of a threat as a blocker, but he can attack similar areas down the field.

Still, Mumpfield is mostly unproven as he’s in year two. He was largely inefficient as a rookie and lacks strength at the catch point. Overall, Mumpfield may see the most snaps in Nacua’s place, but the Rams don’t want to be in a place where they are relying on him.

TE Colby Parkinson

When the Rams were without Nacua last year, it was Colby Parkinson who led the way. Parkinson had three receptions for 47 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, he was a big reason why the switch to 13 personnel worked as well as it did.

Parkinson only had one reception for six yards against the 49ers, but it wouldn’t be surprising for the Rams to get the tight ends more involved this week. Parkinson had a high of 75 yards receiving in Week 15 last year. Even if he doesn’t hit that, the Rams could look to get Parkinson involved on tight end screens and flex him out wide.

WR CJ Daniels

One player who garnered a lot of hype throughout the offseason was rookie wide receiver CJ Daniels. It’s hard to place a lot of expectations on a sixth-round rookie, especially one who was inactive in Week 1. However, this could be an opportunity for Daniels to prove he is ready.

While Daniels may be a better fit on the outside, he does have alignment versatility and can move around. At the very least, he should be able to allow the Rams to rotate Adams a little bit and keep him fresh. The regular season is a different beast than training camp and the preseason. Still, Daniels has risen to the occasion every step of the way since joining the Rams and could be someone the offense relies on against the Giants

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