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

Sunday, April 19, 6:01 AM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp finished the 2025 season as the WR55, and his receiving yardage has now dropped year after year since his 2021 Triple Crown-winning season. His two total touchdowns and 37.1 yards per game both marked career lows. In his first season in Seattle, he saw only a 15.5% target share, and as he approaches his age-33 season, any hopes of a fantasy resurgence have been comfortably put to rest. Returning quarterback Sam Darnold and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury will have the reigning Offensive Player of the Year to lean on in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and after sending a fourth and fifth-round pick to acquire Rashid Shaheed in a mid-season trade and then signing him to a three-year, $51 million deal, the expectation is that he will earn more than the 2.6 targets per game he saw across his nine regular season outings with the Seahawks. Kupp did lead the team in targets and receptions in their Super Bowl win over the Patriots, proving that he can still provide the occasional spike week in the rare occurrence that an opponent has both the plan and the personnel to limit Smith-Njigba, but relying on him as a weekly starter is no longer a viable option. Once one of fantasy's true elites, Kupp is now WR108 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings.