Jordan Whittington could be this year’s Puka Nacua in fantasy football

It’s no secret that those of us who aren’t rostering Darnell Mooney in our season-long fantasy leagues are desperate to find the next big—consistently big—thing on the waiver wire. It’s also no secret that I’ve been closely eyeing LA Rams rookie wideout Jordan Whittington over the last few weeks, and evaluating his opportunities as a rookie pass-catcher while Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) heal up.

I am a biased Stafford superfan, but I do objectively believe it’s not the worst strategy in the world to look down the wide receiver depth chart on whatever team he’s playing for sneaky fantasy production. Remember—this is the quarterback who made Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay, and Marvin Jones Jr. into relevant names. And, based on what we’ve seen in Weeks 4 and 5, I think Sean McVay is priming Whittington for several weeks of operating opposite Cooper Kupp before Puka Nacua returns.

Before we even get to the analysis, let’s be clear: the timetable for both Kupp’s and Nacua’s returns to the field are murky at best. The Rams are currently on bye, which benefits the subject of this article, as well; Sean McVay said Whittington is nursing a shoulder injury after Sunday’s contest against the Packers. However, McVay doesn’t expect it to affect Whittington’s availability come Week 7.

All to say: we’re already looking at the potential of premier volume based on simple injury-forced depth chart shuffling. But the story, I think, is a little bit more interesting when you look at Whittington’s production and route charts so far.

Analysis

Everyone expected Whittington to break out in Week 3 against the 49ers; this was the week after Kupp sprained his ankle, and we all wanted to find an immediate solution. The Rams, it seemed, wanted to be a bit more patient with Whittington.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he was only on the field for 25 snaps against the 49ers in Week 3. In Weeks 4 and 5, he was on the field for 57 and 71 snaps, respectively. He ran 11 routes in Week 3; he ran 32 routes in Week 4 and 41 routes in Week 5.

His receiving lines for the last two games are as follows: six receptions for 62 yards on eight targets, and seven receptions for 89 yards on 10 targets. Regardless of whether or not you believe Matthew Stafford is among the golden generation’s most fun quarterbacks as I do, this usage uptick should have us all on high alert.

Puka Nacua burst onto the scene in 2023 from the get-go and in no uncertain terms. 35 targets, 25 receptions, and 266 yards in the first two games of the season will do that to a player. While Whittington’s lines are certainly less stratospheric, they bear an uncanny resemblance to two of Nacua’s lines in early-season Rams losses in 2023.

Let’s focus on one in particular, in which Nacua logged seven receptions for 71 yards on 11 targets (Week 5 against PHI). A fairly similar line to Whittington’s in Week 5 against Green Bay in 2024, no? Even eerier: Nacua ran 41 routes in this game against the Eagles—same number Whittington ran Sunday against the Packers.

Here’s Puka’s route chart in that game:

Now, here’s Whittington’s from the Packers game:

It’s not exactly a reach to say that the Rams have Whittington working the same part of the field, and, in some cases, running the same routes on Puka’s tree. Whittington has had a few more opportunities in the backfield, and has more hitches incorporated here than Nacua did against the Eagles. But that might just be because Stafford in 2024 doesn’t have the time that 2023 Stafford might have had behind a better offensive line.

Whittington even showed some of that Nacua body-control-while-sacrificing-body-totally-to-catch-the-ball athleticism:

It was also clear, on the tape, that there were some similarities in the route trees were apparent in the Bears game in Week 4, too.

One stat that might mean nothing, but could be suggestive of some growth, too: in Weeks 4 and 5, both Whittington’s average speed and yards per play were more consistent, week-over-week, than their Week 1-3 figures were in total.

All these numbers suggest elite production, and it’s been among the best the past two weeks. Whittington ranks eighth-overall among receivers with at least fifteen targets across Weeks 4 and 5 in EPA/target with a score of 0.44. That’s among the likes of Nico Collins, Drake London, Josh Downs, and Chris Godwin.

Those are some impressive names, and the Whittington window is closing fast.

Bottom line

Sean McVay has Jordan Whittington out there running routes like he wants Whittington to dance the Black Swan. He’s a must-stash on your bench for the rest of the season. A potential WR2-range finish is in store, depending on Puka’s health.

Make no mistake: the Rams have big plans for Whittington. It’s clear as day, laid out in data and graphs above. Go get him.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.