Who Should I Start? Puka Nacua or Brian Thomas Jr.

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.

Tuesday, July 15, 6:05 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. burst onto the NFL scene last year after being taken with the No. 23 overall pick out of LSU. Even on a bad team with spotty quarterback play, Thomas managed to catch 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games (16 starts). The Athletic's Jeff Howe thinks that if the Trevor Lawrence-Liam Coen pairing works out the way it's envisioned, Thomas could be even better. Rookie first-round wideout Travis Hunter will be on the other side of the field drawing attention away from Thomas, too. It's not a stretch to think that Thomas could become a household name in his sophomore season in 2025, which is why RotoBaller has him ranked as a top-10 fantasy pass-catcher. The 22-year-old had si straight games with at least 10 targets and 76 yards a year ago.