Who Should I Start? Amari Cooper or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Thursday, July 25, 6:54 PM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper recently restructured his deal with the organization. The superstar wideout will now earn $20 million during the upcoming season. That is a $5 million raise for the 30-year-old who is worth the money after what he showed last season. Cooper totaled 72 receptions for a career-high 1,250 yards and five touchdowns with the Browns last season. Cooper hinted that he'd like to remain with the team following the 2024 season. It makes sense that Cooper would like to stay after two straight successful seasons with the organization. They've rewarded him with a pay raise, so the organization clearly views him as a valuable asset. Fantasy managers should consider Cooper as a reliable WR2 heading into next season.

Saturday, June 15, 3:04 PM

Seattle Seahawks second-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an obvious breakout candidate in his sophomore season despite being in a receiving corps that still has DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and in an offense that figures to lean more on the running game than new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb did at the University of Washington. In his first year in the league in 2023, Smith-Njigba had 63 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games. No player stood out more than JSN during spring workouts and minicamp, although Metcalf and Lockett weren't always on the field with him. He was downright dominant at times, though, and head coach Mike Macdonald said "we're expecting big things out of him." The 22-year-old has his fantasy ceiling capped as long as Metcalf and Lockett are healthy, but fantasy managers still shouldn't mind rostering him as a WR4/flex.