Can Puka Nacua and Davante Adams Both Be WR1s In 2026 Fantasy Football?
Ian Hartitz evaluates whether Puka Nacua and Davante Adams can repeat their feat of finishing as fantasy WR1s last season ahead of 2026.
Last season was a boom year for the high-powered Rams offense, with both Puka Nacua and Davante Adams finishing inside the position's top-12 options en route to an NFC Championship appearance. Can they repeat this feat in 2026? Ian Hartitz weighs in as part of his Los Angeles Rams Team Preview for 2026.
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How often does one team produce multiple high-end fantasy receivers?
- WR1: Puka Nacua (WR2 in our consensus fantasy football rankings)
- WR2: Davante Adams (WR21)
- WR3: Jordan Whittington
- WR4: Konata Mumpfield
- WR5: CJ Daniels
Well, the Rams managed to do so last year! This has happened 15 times during the last decade, as some of the league's most productive passing attacks have been happy to flow the majority of their targets through their primary two receivers. Our fantasy football projections see this happening again, as Puka (155 targets, 2nd) and Adams (129, 13th) join the Cowboys' duo as the only pair of teammates both projected inside the position's top-15 target earners ahead of 2026.
So, can Puka and Adams repeat this feat? Let's check in on both:
- Puka is the WR1 … ever in PPR points per game. We could call him the chart-breaker if it weren't such a lame nickname, because he skews every efficiency plot by being so far and away in the upper right-hand corner. Some of Nacua's off-season adventures haven't been ideal, but we're still looking at anyone's idea of an elite football player blessed with having maybe the greatest WR whisperer the league has ever seen under center.
- Adams emerged as a goal-line savant during his first season with the Rams, scoring a league-high 14 touchdowns in as many games. He had 10 more end-zone targets than any other wide receiver! Now, there were some signs of distress even before the late-season hamstring injury: Adams reached 75 yards in just four of his 17 total games (including playoffs) and averaged a rough 6.9 yards per target on the season. His ESPN Open Rating was still solid (tied for 12th), but the recent history of 34-year-old receivers putting up big-time numbers in fantasy land is nearly non-existent.
Fantasy Football Outlook For Puka Nacua & Davante Adams
Ultimately, Puka is anyone's idea of a top-three receiver and top-five overall pick in pretty much any single-QB fantasy league. It's fair to conclude Adams' best years are in the rear-view mirror, although his WR26 ADP is hardly a ridiculous price tag. He'll certainly be ranked far higher when healthy enough to suit up—which is why he's the WR20 in Fantasy Life projections. Having 100% exposure to an aging, increasingly banged-up former great is scary, but I'm cool with clicking Adams amongst the current rookie receivers and borderline RB2 types that he's currently going around.
Also note: The Rams appreciate Jordan Whittington's tenacity as a blocker, but he was largely phased out of the offense in favor of the team's talented tight ends. This is also the issue with getting at all excited about Konata Mumpfield: Both backup receivers basically need both Nacua and Adams to get injured in order to enter the fantasy picture because of McVay's newfound fascination with 12 and 13 personnel.
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