Puka Nacua projected as No. 1 wide receiver in Week 2 despite Rams' letdown in Australia

After an uncharacteristic Week 1, Puka Nacua and the Rams are both looking for a reset.

Nacua entered this season amidst some offseason issues that put more attention on the off-field issues than the NFL betting storylines around last year's OPOY third-place finisher, and in a big Week 1 spot vs. the 49ers, neither Nacua or the Rams delivered.

Los Angeles' 27-7 loss to San Francisco puts the Rams at the bottom of the NFC West, as Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco all sit at 1-0.

Complicating matters further, the Rams are now without Myles Garrett for at least a month after the newly acquired edge rusher underwent knee surgery, adding pressure on the offense to get right before Rams vs. Giants on Monday Night Football.

Nacua's line from the opener (5 catches, 74 yards) doesn't look alarming on its own, but the context puts it under a spotlight.

Outside of a 41-yard connection on Los Angeles' third drive of the game, he caught just four passes for 33 yards, and his five receptions tied his second-lowest total of any game last season. For a receiver who topped 90 receiving yards and 7+ catches in all but four games in 2025, it was a disappointing performance and not what you'd like to see for a player drafted in the Top 5 overall of fantasy drafts this summer.

Puka Nacua projected for bounceback vs. Giants in Week 2

Thankfully for NFL bettors and fantasy managers, our NFL predictions identify an incoming correction at both the player and team level for the Rams.

Nacua projects for a league-leading 90.1 receiving yards among wide receivers this week on 6.5 catches, with a 42.1% chance to score a touchdown. That score probability is the third-highest mark at the position in our NFL player projections, and our top overall in Week 2, Amon-Ra St. Brown, found the end zone twice on Thursday night

Puka Nacua's week-leading WR projection.

If the Rams are going to lean on one offensive weapon to keep their season from spiraling, the numbers say it's Nacua.

Bettors looking for some sneaky touchdown value in Week 2 for the Rams can find an edge in the backfield.

Rams vs. Giants analysis

Dimers gives Los Angeles a 75.9% win probability at home against New York, with the Giants sitting at just 24.1%.

Our model's projected final score, Rams 28, Giants 19, both clears the total (47.5) and covers the spread (-7.5), implying plenty of offense on the Rams' side of things, a good sign for a big Nacua workload.

The Rams are -7.5 favorites (+113) and -285 on the moneyline, reflecting a talent gap Dimers' data agrees with, however, the Giants certainly looked like an improved team in their SNF win over the Cowboys in Week 1.

Per Dimers' best NFL bets, there's value on Los Angeles covering behind a bounce-back Nacua game, though that same shootout script that boosts his workload could pull volume elsewhere in the passing game, tempering the appeal of some other star players for the Rams, like Kyren Williams in the running game.

Bet on NFL Week 2 with Dimers Pro

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