Who Should I Start? Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Rome Odunze

Saturday, June 15, 3:04 PM

Seattle Seahawks second-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an obvious breakout candidate in his sophomore season despite being in a receiving corps that still has DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and in an offense that figures to lean more on the running game than new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb did at the University of Washington. In his first year in the league in 2023, Smith-Njigba had 63 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games. No player stood out more than JSN during spring workouts and minicamp, although Metcalf and Lockett weren't always on the field with him. He was downright dominant at times, though, and head coach Mike Macdonald said "we're expecting big things out of him." The 22-year-old has his fantasy ceiling capped as long as Metcalf and Lockett are healthy, but fantasy managers still shouldn't mind rostering him as a WR4/flex.

Thursday, June 27, 4:40 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is an exciting young asset for fantasy football, but since he will share the field with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen while catching passes from a rookie quarterback, his upside in Year 1 could be limited. According to Michael Smith of Pro Football Talk, he is a contender for the team's punt returner role. This could indicate that the team will bring him along slowly as a receiver during the regular season, but it's always a bonus to have additional special teams value. Barring an Allen or Moore injury, it would be a surprise if Odunze finishes as a top-24 wide receiver in his rookie campaign, though anything is possible for an elite collegiate prospect.