Who Should I Start? Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Zay Flowers

Friday, September 5, 2:11 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is entering his first season as the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver in Seattle's offense. Smith-Njigba broke out over the second half of the 2024 season en route to 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He enters the 2025 season with a new quarterback in Sam Darnold and a new play caller in Klint Kubiak. Darnold supported excellent fantasy seasons for wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in Minnesota in 2024. JSN is going to be a target hog in a rebuilt Seahawks offense tailor-made for Darnold's strengths. In Week 1, Smith-Njigba will draw a relatively tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers were No. 5 in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers in 2024. Although San Francisco lost a couple of defensive pieces, they re-signed defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is a master of shutting down opposing offenses. Still, volume alone should help Smith-Njigba overcome any challenges the 49ers may present. You can safely deploy him as a WR2 in Week 1.

Friday, September 5, 10:04 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers was one of the most popular names among the potential breakout candidates last season. In the end, he averaged almost the exact same amount of fantasy points per game in PPR leagues (12.1 vs 12.3). The speedy wideout finished as WR1 and a WR2 in three games each last season, which left him as a WR3 or worse in the 12 remaining weeks. The good news is that he's seen at least 100 targets in each of the last two seasons, which is why he continues to have WR2 upside, especially in PPR formats. Against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, RotoBaller's projections have Flowers registering 11.2 fantasy points and finishing as the WR32.