Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.

Friday, September 12, 12:10 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will look to follow up his stellar Week 1 performance in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. JSN displayed early chemistry with new quarterback Sam Darnold in the team's home opener. His nine receptions for 124 yards both led the team by a long shot. Smith-Njigba looked the part as well, constantly getting open and putting himself in position to succeed. The Steelers just got torched by New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson in Week 1. Wilson proved that the Steelers' defense may not be as scary as many thought it would be, at least not to start the season. Regardless, Smith-Njigba seems to be a perfect fit in the new Seahawks offensive scheme, which should make him matchup-proof. He was the WR12 in Week 1, and he has a great opportunity to finish as a WR1 once again this week.