Who Should I Start? Chris Olave or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Thursday, May 22, 3:14 PM

New Orleans Saints wide receivers Chris Olave (head) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) look fully recovered during OTAs, according to team beat writer Matthew Paras. Olave missed nine games last season due to multiple head injuries/concussions, while Shaheed's season ended in Week 6 after he suffered a torn meniscus. Both New Orleans wideouts are explosive play-makers with blazing speed, but health will be a concern in 2025. Additionally, they are likely to be catching passes from rookie quarterback Tyler Shough for most of the year, and rookie signal-callers traditionally struggle to support multiple fantasy-relevant pass-catchers. All that said, their positive injury updates early in the offseason are promising. Olave, priced as a mid-range WR3, could present value if Shough exceeds expectations. Shaheed remains a late-round best ball dart throw.

Sunday, January 5, 8:21 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught four passes for nine yards in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams. Smith-Njigba was invisible in a game in which quarterback Geno Smith threw four touchdown passes. What's worse, JSN had a chance to break wide receiver Tyler Lockett's single-season team receptions record. He fell one reception short of breaking the record. Overall, Smith-Njigba had a great season. He will finish with 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 100 receptions. Fantasy managers should be ecstatic about Smith-Njigba heading into next season. He is clearly Smith's No. 1 target, and he has displayed that he has the talent to be a high-end producer for fantasy. While his Week 18 was disappointing, the future is bright for JSN.