Who Should I Start? Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Josh Downs

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 7, 1:59 AM

Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Josh Downs caught all three of his targets for 48 yards in the team's 23-19 loss to the Houston Texans. Downs led all Colts pass-catchers in yards and caught the team's longest pass-attempt when he reeled in a 28-yard catch. Downs finishes his rookie campaign with 771 yards on 68 catches and two touchdowns. With their Week 18 loss, the Colts are now eliminated from playoff contention.