Who Should I Start? Courtland Sutton or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Friday, September 5, 12:51 AM

There's no denying that Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton had a great year in 2024 as rookie quarterback Bo Nix's go-to target, and it led to Sutton's second career 1,000-yard performance while grabbing a career-best 81 passes and scoring eight touchdowns. He was the WR20 in fantasy points per game once things started clicking for Nix and has now found the end zone 18 times in the last two seasons. The 29-year-old should be a weekly WR2 consideration, but with the additions of running backs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, tight end Evan Engram and receiver Pat Bryant, Sutton figures to have more competition in terms of target share. And in Week 1 against the Titans -- a team that allowed the fewest half-PPR points per game to WRs in 2024 -- Sutton could disappoint out of the gates, especially if he's shadowed by cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.

Friday, September 5, 2:11 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is entering his first season as the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver in Seattle's offense. Smith-Njigba broke out over the second half of the 2024 season en route to 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He enters the 2025 season with a new quarterback in Sam Darnold and a new play caller in Klint Kubiak. Darnold supported excellent fantasy seasons for wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in Minnesota in 2024. JSN is going to be a target hog in a rebuilt Seahawks offense tailor-made for Darnold's strengths. In Week 1, Smith-Njigba will draw a relatively tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers were No. 5 in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers in 2024. Although San Francisco lost a couple of defensive pieces, they re-signed defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is a master of shutting down opposing offenses. Still, volume alone should help Smith-Njigba overcome any challenges the 49ers may present. You can safely deploy him as a WR2 in Week 1.