Puka Nacua Odds: Will Kupp’s Return Affect His NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Chances?

Over the first several weeks of the NFL season, Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua has taken the league by storm.

Not only has the fifth-round pick out of BYU has not only been Matthew Stafford’s favorite target with Cooper Kupp sidelined for the first four games, but he has also been one of the most productive receivers in the league and made some history as well.

With 39 catches for 501 yards in his first four games, no player in NFL history has been more productive in their first four games.

As a result, he has become one of the favorites to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he is also one of the favorites to lead the league in receiving yards.

But will his early success continue? The next few weeks will tell the tale, with Kupp set to return to action this afternoon against the Philadelphia Eagles.

For now, here’s a look at his NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds and NFL Offensive Player of the Year odds, as well as his odds lead the league in receiving yards.

Nacua Sits Third in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds are via BetUS.

• C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans +175
• Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons +400
• Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams +550
• Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts +600
• Devon Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins +700
• Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens +1800
• Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings +2200
• Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions +2800

Since the inception of the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 1967, only 11 wide receivers have taken home honors.

However, two of those 11 have come in the past two seasons, with Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase winning in 2021 and Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets doing so last season.

Nacua is in a great spot, but it is going to be hard for him to beat out either Stroud or Robinson unless his torrid pace continues.

Here’s how Nacua and the other Offensive Rookie of the Year favorites stack up through four weeks:

• C.J. Stroud: 94-151 (62.3%), 1212 yards, 6 TD, 0 INT
• Bijan Robinson: 53 carries, 318 yards (6.0 yards per carry) rushing; 19 catches, 134 yards, TD receiving
• Anthony Richardson (3 games): 41-72 (56.9%), 479 yards, 3 TD, INT passing; 23 carries, 131 yards, 4 TD rushing
• Devon Achane (3 games): 27 carries, 309 yards (11.4 yards per carry), 4 TD rushing; 8 catches, 53 yards, 2 TD receiving

Could Nacua Beat Out Jefferson and Hill to Lead the NFL in Receiving Yards?

Odds are via MyBookie.

• Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings +137
• Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins +295
• Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams +550
• A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles +1400
• Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills +1500
• Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders +1875
• Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers +2200
• Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals +2500

How does he compare with Jefferson and the other favorites to lead the league in receiving yards?

• Jefferson: 33 catches, 543 yards (16.5 YPC), 3 TD
• Hill: 28 catches, 470 yards (16.8 YPC), 4 TD
• Nacua: 39 catches, 501 yards (12.8 YPC), 1 TD
• Brown: 29 catches, 414 yards (14.3 YPC), 2 TD
• Diggs: 31 catches, 399 yards (12.9 YPC), 4 TD

Other notable names among the league leaders include Chicago’s D.J. Moore (27 catches, 531 yards, 5 TD), who had a monster game on Thursday night against the Washington Commanders, Allen (35 catches, 434 yards, 3 TD), and another breakout star in Houston’s Nico Collins (22 catches, 428 yards, 3 TD).

Collins has had two 100-yard games in his last three weeks after having none through his first 25 NFL games, as well as matching his touchdown total (three) from those first 25 games.

NFL Offensive Player of the Year Odds

Odds are via BetUS.

• Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers +200
• Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins +550
• Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings +550
• Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills +2000
• Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens +2000
• Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles +2500
• Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders +2800
• Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions +3000
• Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills +3300
• CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys +3300
• Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys +3300
• Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins +3300
• Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers +4000
• Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears +4000
• Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans +4000
• Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs +4000
• Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers +4000
• A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles +5000
• Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals +5000
• Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs +5000
• Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams +5000
• Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts +5000
• Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons +5000
• D’Andre Swift, RB, Philadelphia Eagles +5000

Given the names in front of him, it is highly, highly unlikely that Nacua comes close to winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, even if he keeps this up.

However, to even be at +5000 to win it weeks into the season after not being on the radar beforehand is nothing to scoff at.

Will Cooper Kupp’s Return Mean Less Catches for Nacua?

Before you load up on your bets on Nacua to win Offensive Rookie of the Year or lead the NFL in receiving yards, you need to consider the impact of Kupp’s return to action.

It’s fair to assume that Kupp will resume his status as Stafford’s number one target, but what does that mean for Nacua?

There’s only one ball to go around, but there should still be plenty of opportunities for Nacua.

Tutu Atwell, the Rams’ second-leading receiver through four games, is averaging 8.8 targets per game, while tight end Tyler Higbee, the team’s third-leading pass-catcher, is averaging 6.5 targets per game.

Plenty of production can still come from averaging seven to ten targets per game, especially if you are hauling in most of those targets.

Nacua has caught 75% of his targets (39 of 52), a much better percentage than Atwell (22 of 35, 62.9%) and Higbee (16 of 26, 61.5%). Even when he had a season-low seven targets at Cincinnati in Week 3, he still ended up with five catches for 72 yards, which is pretty respectable.

So, you should still expect Stafford to seek out Nacua on a frequent basis, and if he continues to haul in most of the balls thrown his way, he will surpass the numbers that Wilson put up last year (83 catches, 1,103 yards, 4 TD).

Also, he could also potentially make a run at the single-season NFL record for receiving yards by a rookie. The late Bill Groman of the Houston Oilers holds the combined AFL/NFL record with 1,473 yards in 1960, while Chase, with 1,455 yards in 2021, has the most since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970.

Would challenging those numbers help Nacua become the third straight receiver to win Offensive Rookie of the Year? Stroud, Robinson, and perhaps Richardson will have a lot to say about that, but he doesn’t need any hardware to back up his achievements and his story.

Where to Bet on the NFL in 2023

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NFL odds throughout the season.

In addition to being able to bet on Super Bowl spread and over/under betting odds when the big game arrives, you can make weekly NFL picks on games all season long.

Also, you can bet on NFL MVP odds, Offensive Player of the Year odds, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds, and odds on the other major NFL awards at most reputable sports betting sites.

There are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NFL betting, but here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

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