Who Should I Start? Nico Collins or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Friday, September 5, 10:42 PM

Houston Texans Wide Receiver Nico Collins is usually a target magnet, and he could be even busier than usual in Week 1 since the Texans won't have offseason additions Christian Kirk (hamstring) or Braxton Berrios (hamstring) in addition to Tank Dell (knee), who is expected to miss most or all of the season. The rest of the Texans' targets are inexperienced, with rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel possibly getting a chance to step up, along with third-year receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who has just 20 regular-season catches. Collins is coming off his second straight 1,000-yard season despite being limited to only 12 games. He had seven regular-season touchdowns and was a top-10 receiver in fantasy points per game for the second straight year. Without many other proven options, C.J. Stroud could look his way early and often against the Rams. He'll be the focus of the passing game but will also get plenty of attention from the defense, leaving him as a strong starting option in all formats as the No. 9 WR in the RotoBaller rankings.

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.