Why Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are destined to be Fantasy Football stars once again in 2024

ORLANDO — Four scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon and a water. That’s the order for one of the best receivers in 2023 as part of the “Breakfast Club.”

In 2021, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp started eating breakfast together and doing early morning film sessions. Rookie Puka Nacua decided to join them this season, and it worked out well as Nacua set NFL records and reached the Pro Bowl.

“I don’t know if there was an invite officially. I think I might have invited myself,” Nacua said in an interview with CBS Sports at the Pro Bowl. “It took them four or five times for them to actually say something to me. Then it was almost like they were expecting me to show up then after that point.”

Nacua said Kupp and Stafford’s breakfast orders don’t change much, with Kupp definitely getting a breakfast burrito every Thursday. Nacua said he learned so much from Stafford and Kupp in those film sessions.

Nacua credited that duo for helping him make a seamless transition to the NFL from Utah as a fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft.

“Those two are in sync all the time,” Nacua said. “They’re a mastermind together. The ability to work well in the football world and then how those guys interact with each other off the field. They are leaders, and the guys feed off that. It’s just such a blessing that I get to be there around them and I get to pick up all the such great football knowledge that they have.

“They’re so experienced. There’s no hesitation for them to give me the knowledge that they have. It just makes the game flow so much easier for me and then for our offense as well just me trying to catch up to be on the page that they’re on.”

Nacua said his rookie season was “dreams and more.” He set the rookie record for receiving yards with 1,486, which was previously held by Bill Groman in 1960 (1,473). And he broke the record for most receptions by a rookie with 105, which was just set in 2021 by Jaylen Waddle (104).

“The biggest word that always comes to my mind is blessed,” Nacua said. “Obviously everybody comes into the NFL with dreams and aspirations. Playing football my whole life, to be in this moment is what you really dream of. You picture it as sweet as it can be. You boost yourself up to 99 in Madden and give yourself all the best ratings. You provide yourself with the skills necessary. For it to kind of come together in real life and kind of right before my eyes each week, it just seemed like when I thought it was the best in the world, it seemed to get better the next week. I’m so excited, and I can’t wait for what’s in store.”

Nacua wasn’t the only Rams star at the Pro Bowl. He was joined by running back Kyren Williams, who also had a breakout season in 2023.

After battling through foot and ankle injuries in his rookie season in 2022, Williams came out of nowhere to become the best running back for the Rams — and one of the best in the NFL.

He finished his sophomore season with 228 carries for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 32 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

“Not having the rookie year that I wanted, and not living up to the expectations that I wanted, it was only right that I went into my second year on a mission,” Williams said. “And that’s what I did. I went home, and I got myself back right. I got back to being myself.”

Williams always believed in himself despite his frustrating rookie campaign. And once the Rams decided he could be their featured running back ahead of Cam Akers to open the season, Williams never looked back.

“All I needed was an opportunity, and I was able to get that,” Williams said. “I kicked the door down doing that. This is something I expected. I just needed a chance.”

Williams and Nacua became Fantasy sensations in 2023, and you can argue for each one to be the best waiver wire addition of all time. Neither one registered an Average Draft Position on CBS Sports among 214 draft picks.

Williams finished as the No. 2 PPR running back in points per game at 21.4, behind only Christian McCaffrey (24.7). And Nacua was the No. 4 PPR receiver in total points at 298.5, and he was No. 6 in points per game at 17.6.

So what will both of these Rams do for an encore in 2024? For Williams, you hope he’s the next Todd Gurley for Sean McVay and not the next Akers.

Gurley started for McVay in their first season together in 2017 when Gurley was 23. For three seasons, Gurley had at least 250 total touches in each year, and he had two seasons with at least 1,800 total yards and 19 total touchdowns.

Williams was 23 this past season, and he was the first 1,000-yard rusher for the Rams since Gurley in 2018. Williams doesn’t have the same upside as Gurley, but Williams will hopefully have a successful run as the No. 1 running back for the Rams.

He said at the Pro Bowl that Fantasy managers should draft him No. 1 overall in 2024. That’s not likely to happen, but he should be selected in the first round in most leagues.

For Nacua, he’s now emerged as the No. 1 Fantasy receiver for the Rams, ahead of Kupp, who turns 31 in June. Nacua will hopefully perform like some of the receivers he passed while breaking rookie records in 2023.

There have been three receivers in NFL history with at least 100 receptions as a rookie with Nacua, Waddle and Anquan Boldin. Waddle had 104 catches for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns on 140 targets as a rookie in 2021, and he averaged 15.5 PPR points per game. He followed that up with 75 catches for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns on 117 targets as a sophomore, and while his catches went down, everything else went up and led to a similar Fantasy season in 2022 (15.4 PPR points per game).

Boldin had 101 catches for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns on 165 targets for the Cardinals as a rookie in 2003. He missed six games in 2004 due to injury and struggled, but he came back in 2005 with 102 catches for 1,402 yards and seven touchdowns on 171 targets.

As for the yardage record for rookies, there have been four receivers with at least 1,400 yards in their first season, including Nacua, Groman, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. We’ll ignore Groman here because he played in a different era for Houston in 1960, but Chase and Jefferson are more favorable comparisons for Nacua.

Chase had 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns on 128 targets as a rookie and averaged 18.0 PPR points per game in 2021. In 2022 in just 12 games, he averaged 20.5 PPR points per game with 87 catches for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns on 134 targets.

Jefferson had 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns on 125 targets as a rookie and averaged 16.9 PPR points per game in 2020. In 2021, he averaged 19.5 PPR points per game with 108 catches for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns on 184 targets.

While we’re not going to project Nacua to play like Chase or Jefferson as sophomores, you can see that exceptional rookie seasons tend to lead to quality second campaigns, including what Waddle and Boldin were able to accomplish after standout first years. And Nacua welcomes the challenge of getting better in 2024.

He also was happy to help Fantasy managers in 2023.

“That has been funny,” Nacua said. “I still hear stuff all the time. I walk around L.A. and people will say, ‘Yo dude, you saved my Fantasy team, you’re the best!’ It’s so funny. It’s pretty popular.”

Nacua and Williams were popular for the Rams and Fantasy managers last season. And they have the chance to be stars again in 2024.