Who Should I Start? Bryce Young or Puka Nacua

Sunday, August 17, 11:40 AM

The Carolina Panthers and quarterback Bryce Young turned in a performance to forget in a 20-3 preseason loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday. Head coach Dave Canales had planned for Young and the starting offense to play three series, but he wound up pulling the third-year QB after a mere six plays. Young went 0-for-2, took a sack, and threw an interception to cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. that was negated by a defensive holding call. The former No. 1 overall pick gained two yards on a scramble, but that was it in terms of positive plays. Canales announced that the starters won't play the exhibition finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, meaning Young will wrap up his preseason 4-for-8 for 58 yards over two games. Heading into his age-24 campaign, Young is expected to take another step forward after showing progress last year. He tossed 12 touchdowns against three interceptions in his final eight games in 2024, leading to hope that the former Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama had figured it out at the NFL level. The Young-led Panthers will open the regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 7.

Monday, March 24, 7:30 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua said on the "Join The Lobby" podcast that he would like to retire from the NFL at the age of 30. It would mean that the 23-year-old (24 in May) pass-catcher would have six or seven more years of football left in him. After being selected in the fifth round (177th overall) in 2023, Nacua has been lights-out his first two professional seasons with a combined 184 catches on 266 targets for 2,476 yards and nine touchdowns in 28 regular-season starts. Barring an injury, he should be an elite receiver in the NFL for years to come, especially now that Cooper Kupp is no longer in L.A. Nacua did miss five games in the first half of the 2025 campaign due to a knee injury, but on a per-game basis, he was even more productive for fantasy managers. Even with Davante Adams essentially replacing Kupp, Nacua should be a target hog and a strong WR1 target in fantasy drafts.