Who Should I Start? Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Jayden Reed

Monday, January 8, 5:25 AM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught three of his five targets for 14 yards in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. The receptions were tied with tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson for the team lead but made for a quiet end to a modest debut season for the Ohio State product. Selected 20th overall in the 2023 draft, there were hopes that Smith-Njigba would replicate the first-year successes of his former college teammates Garrett Wilson and Christian Olave. As it was, Smith-Njigba proved to be firmly entrenched as the third receiver on Seattle's depth chart and was probably lucky to see the amount of work that he did. His production was also hindered by the routes designed for him, as his average depth of target of 5.8 yards was among the lowest in the league. His rookie year will conclude with 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games.

Sunday, January 21, 9:44 AM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed caught all four of his targets for a gain of 35 yards and took his lone carry for a nine-yard gain during the team's 21-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The rookie went without a catch last week but ended the Divisional Round loss tied for the most receptions on the team. Reed was one of the breakout rookie wide receivers for fantasy managers over the back half of the regular season. While he did not do a ton in the postseason, Reed will enter the 2024 regular season as one of the top Packers skill position players to target in fantasy drafts. Romeo Doubs was the most productive Green Bay receiver during the playoffs, and Christian Watson did little as he made his way back from a hamstring injury. All three of these names will likely land as late-round draft selections, with Reed having the most upside.