Who Should I Start? Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Ricky Pearsall

Monday, February 9, 1:33 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught four of his 10 targets for 27 yards during Sunday's Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots. Just a few days after being named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year, Smith-Njigba was held in check by a historic defensive performance from Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. While the young receiver was smothered, this simply redirected more volume to Cooper Kupp and running back Kenneth Walker III, who both fueled the victory. Fantasy managers should expect that Smith-Njigba, who had 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season, will continue to get plenty of attention from the NFL's top cornerbacks going forward. He was relatively quiet in a tough matchup on Sunday night, but he should overcome most of those challenging situations in 2026 -- very similar to how he performed during the 2025 regular season. He enters 2026 fantasy drafts as a top-three receiver in all leagues.

Sunday, February 15, 4:31 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is trending up ahead of the NFL offseason. Fellow Niners receiver Jauan Jennings is headed for free agency, and given that his relationship with the team is rocky, it seems likely that he'll sign somewhere else. If Jennings does leave, and Brandon Aiyuk also departs as expected, that will open the door for Pearsall to step into the No. 1 receiver role. He showed the ability to handle a top role at times in 2025, but injuries prevented fantasy managers from being able to fully evaluate him. He ultimately finished his second pro season with 36 catches, 528 yards, and zero touchdowns across nine games. Because of his injury history, it might be tough for the 49ers to trust Pearsall as their No. 1 receiver. We wouldn't be surprised to see them go out and grab a top pass-catcher via trade or free agency, leaving Pearsall in the No. 2 role once again. He can absolutely still offer upside in fantasy football, though. The 49ers have a very capable offense, so Pearsall will be able to turn any workload into fantasy points. He ranks as a fringe top-36 fantasy receiver for 2026 and would jump into the top 24 if the 49ers don't bring in any competition for him.