Who Should I Start? Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Emeka Egbuka


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
19.2 1.7 0.0 6.5 91.8 0.6

Jaxon Smith-Njigba News

Jaxon Smith-Njigba Primed to Begin WR1 Campaign on Wednesday Night

Thursday, September 3, 12:06 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a league-winner across all formats in the 2025 season. The former Ohio State standout smashed his ADP, finishing as the overall WR2, joining Puka Nacua as the only players at his position to average more than 20.0 PPR points per game. He would catch 119 of his 163 targets (fourth-most in football) for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. During the regular season, he would only fall below double-digit PPR points in one game (Week 13) and would eclipse the 25.0 PPR point mark in five contests. On Wednesday night, Smith-Njigba and the reigning Super Bowl champions will host the New England Patriots, whom they faced in last February's season finale. In this contest, Smith-Njigba was relatively quiet, catching only four of his 10 targets for a mere 27 yards. However, despite the modest effort, Smith-Njigba enters the 2026 season as the clear alpha of this WR room and should draw a massive target share against this New England defense. Smith-Njigba carries elite upside at his position, even though his matchup on paper is a bit tough, facing a New England secondary that allowed the ninth-fewest passing yards last season. He profiles as the definition of a must-start in all season-long formats and is a top play in all DFS single-game showdown competitions.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
11.6 0.7 0.0 3.8 57.7 0.3

Emeka Egbuka News

Todd Bowles Remains Cautious Regarding Emeka Egbuka's Week 1 Status

Wednesday, September 2, 8:59 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is still a bit cautious about wide receivers Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee) as far as playing in the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. "Headed in the right direction. I don't know how fast. I'll have a better gauge next week. They're moving forward every day," Bowles said. Egbuka got some work in on a side field with trainers on Wednesday, but he has not been a full go with the rest of the team for a while after spraining his toe, and he is a true question mark right now for the season opener on Sunday, Sept. 13. Like Bowles said, fantasy managers will have a better idea of the 23-year-old's Week 1 status next week, when the Bucs start to release official practice statuses. If both Egbuka and McMillan are limited or out in Week 1, it will mean more targets for both Chris Godwin Jr. and Ted Hurst III. Egbuka's case as a legitimate WR2 in fantasy in Year 2 has been tempered this summer due to his toe injury, and he is currently ranked as RotoBaller's No. 23 fantasy WR. The former first-rounder from Ohio State had a solid rookie season in 2025 with a 63-938-6 line on 127 targets in 17 games played.


Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Emeka Egbuka

Still trying to decide between Smith-Njigba and Egbuka? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is projected to score 19.2 points this week while Emeka Egbuka is projected to score 11.6 points.