While there was no specific mention of Puka Nacua, Rams HC Sean McVay said the plan is for the entire team to be in Australia, per Greg Beacham of The Associated Press. Between the psoas injury that has kept him out for multiple weeks and the recent legal issues, McVay's expectation that all Rams players will make the cross-country trip for opening night is further confirmation that the star WR will play.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Week 1 Light Stays Green
Nacua is coming off a season where he produced 23.4 PPR points per game (PPG), topping all other wide receivers. The next-highest scorer, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, still finished 2.5 PPG behind.
Nacua joins Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr, and Michael Thomas as the only WRs to begin their careers with three straight seasons of at least 16 PPG.
With Matthew Stafford returning for an 18th season, there's hardly any reason to doubt Nacua replicating that production and his monster 29.5% target share from last season.
But two of the few reasons he couldn't match last year's success are injury and legal issues.
For the psoas injury, Nacua returned to practice on Sunday, which allows for 10 days of practice before Thursday’s game. Suggesting his injury wouldn’t be an obstacle to open the season.
The lawsuit and allegations against Nacua might eventually pose a legitimate threat, but because he avoided the commissioner's exempt list and his HC said everyone is making the road trip, it doesn't appear to be a threat for Week 1.
