LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Rams could be without both of their star wide receivers this week. All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua did not practice Friday and is questionable for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders after leaving practice early Thursday with a calf injury.
The Rams placed [Davante Adams on injured reserve](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7705718/2026/10/19/davante-adams-hamstring-injury-out-weeks/) with a ruptured hamstring earlier this week. Adams is expected to miss six to 10 weeks.
Rams head coach Sean McVay called Nacua's injury "minor" but said he didn't know when or how it happened.
"He felt it where he wasn't able to have some of the power and explosion," McVay said. "He just kind of noticed it, but I don't think he was aware of any sort of specific play that led to it. He took part in a majority of the practice, left and got it checked out."
Adams' injury was expected to shift much of the volume of Los Angeles' passing game to Nacua, who had 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025 despite sharing the field with Adams for most of the season. Now, the Rams could be without the NFL's reigning leader in receptions (Nacua) and touchdown catches (Adams) from last season.
Nacua missed two games for a hip issue earlier this season before returning for the past three. He bounced back quickly, catching 32 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown in those three contests.
Nacua is in a contract year, as the Rams have held off on paying one of the league's top receivers as he proves he can grow from several off-the-field incidents. A second injury in seven weeks could bring the 25-year-old's future with the team into question, though an absence could also illustrate how much the Rams need him on offense.
If Nacua does not play, the Rams would need to rework a passing game built to lean heavily on Nacua and Adams. They would work with a group that includes Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, Tutu Atwell and CJ Daniels. The most productive among them this season has been Mumpfield, who has eight catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. Whittington, Atwell and Daniels have combined for just five catches for 43 yards.
Los Angeles opted not to spend significant resources on another wide receiver this offseason despite needing one after last year's narrow loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. The Rams traded up to draft Daniels in the sixth round out of Miami, but he has been a healthy scratch for all six games. They traded running back Jarquez Hunter to bring back Atwell, a previous starter in Los Angeles, but he has been active for just three games and has caught three passes for 31 yards.
The injuries could lead to more targets for running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, both of whom have flashed as receivers. It could also put a heavier load on the tight ends, though the Rams are missing their top receiving option there in Terrance Ferguson, who is on IR with an ankle injury.
The lack of receiving options for Matthew Stafford should mean a heavier dose of a run game that has been efficient but hasn't seen much volume yet for Williams and Corum.
The injury news has been a wave crashing over the Rams since their 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, which dropped them to 2-4. In addition to Adams, they also placed defensive end Kobie Turner and defensive tackle Poona Ford on IR, with Ford's season being over.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie is also questionable to face the Raiders with a groin injury after not practicing this week and missing last week's game against the Cardinals.
This article originally appeared in [The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7715458/2026/10/23/puka-nacua-injury-rams-raiders/).