Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of their Week 1 matchup with the Detroit Lions. He left the game in the second quarter after tallying four catches for 35 yards. Not only did the Rams go on to lose the game 26-20 in overtime, but they also lost Nacua for the next four weeks.
Head coach Sean McVay announced that his wide receiver has a PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) sprain, reaggravating an injury he endured during training camp, and will be placed on IR.
The injury isn’t just a blow to the Rams wide receiving corps, but it was also a blow to anyone who bet over 73.5 yards on Nacua’s receiving prop in Week 1. With a Week 2 matchup against the Cardinals on the horizon, bettors should look to take advantage of Cooper Kupp’s props.
The Rams' WR1 was targeted 21 times, recording 14 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown against Detroit. BetMGM has yet to post player props for Week 2, but with Nacua out of the lineup, you can almost guarantee Kupp's numbers will increase significantly. DraftKings currently offers a special for Kupp to have 14+ receptions at +1400 odds against the Cardinals! Considering he already achieved that in Week 1 against a solid Lions secondary, it’s reasonable to think he could repeat that performance, especially at that price.
Arizona is a team likely to find themselves in many shootouts this season, thanks to a subpar defense. The Cardinals gave up 232 passing yards to Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 1, with Allen completing 18 of 23 passes and throwing two touchdowns. With the Rams' pass-heavy offense, I’d expect similar numbers from Matthew Stafford and company.
In his two games against Arizona last season, Kupp finished with seven catches on nine targets for 148 yards and a touchdown in one game, and three catches on five targets for 18 yards in the other. While the second performance wasn’t impressive, it’s important to remember that Kupp was dealing with injuries last year, and Nacua was having a breakout season. Now, with Kupp fully healthy and Nacua out of the lineup, he shouldn’t have any issues reaching big numbers in Week 2.
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