Los Angeles Rams’ star Puka Nacua is one of the best in the business and, in recent years, has been featured as much as nearly any receiver in the NFL. This season, though, his usage has surpassed even his previous lofty production. The fourth-year pro is currently just seventh in the NFL in total targets with 74 of them, but that’s through just six games played. He’s first by a sizable margin in targets per game, with quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing at his All-Pro receiver 12.3 times per game.
On a per-game basis, no one is being thrown at more often than Nacua.
Is that sustainable?
For comparison’s sake, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb leads the league in total targets with 92, but is averaging just 11.5 per game. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who at times has been the only functional piece of the Seattle Seahawks offense this season, is averaging 11.1 targets per game.
Nacua’s rate isn’t just a league-best this year, it’s in historic territory in terms of target share. According to Next Gen Stats, only three players since the turn of the century have averaged more targets per game than Nacua. That includes Julio Jones at 12.7 with the 2015 Atlanta Falcons, Marvin Harrison at 12.8 with the 2002 Indianapolis Colts and Terrell Owens at a staggering 13.1 targets per game for the 2005 Philadelphia Eagles.
That’s two Hall of Famers and another who’s a shoo-in, by the way.
It’s not necessarily a negative to have your passing game run through one player at a stark rate. And it’s not as if Nacua is the only worthwhile part of the offense, either, considering L.A.’s ground game has been excellent again this season, once again placing in the top 10 in the NFL in EPA/rush and the top five in success rate.
Part of the reason for the higher-than-usual target share for Nacua is his quarterback. Stafford isn’t pushing the ball down the field nearly as often as he’s done over the course of his career. Nacua is a big-play threat, of course, but he’s not a burner, and he’s dangerous on the routes and concepts Stafford has been more comfortable with in 2026.
All of this is a bit of a high-wire act for Los Angeles. Nacua is a dazzling player, but on the off chance an opposing defense finds a way to limit him, what’s the changeup in the passing game? Right now, the Ram receiving the second most targets this season is Kyren Williams, a running back. Third? Davante Adams, who’s on injured reserve. Tight end Tyler Higbee slots in fourth with just 27 targets so far this season.
This is emphasizing two things: Nacua is phenomenal, and the Rams really do need more help at wide receiver. A superstar acquisition is an exciting proposition, but even a decent starter would do the trick at this point.
Puka Nacua has proven he can carry nearly the Rams’ entire passing game on his own. That probably won’t change without a drastic shakeup to the roster.
