Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Solid showing in loss
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Smith-Njigba brought in five of nine targets for 53 yards and committed a fumble recovered by Seattle in the Seahawks' 36-24 loss to the 49ers on Thursday night.
Smith-Njigba got off to a slow start, but he finished third in both receptions and receiving yards and second in targets by night's end. The second-year wideout has enjoyed a robust role in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's system on most weeks thus far, logging at least seven targets in three straight games and four occasions overall. Smith-Njigba also has at least four receptions in three consecutive contests heading into a Week 7 road matchup against the Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 20.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Hits paydirt Sunday
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Smith-Njigba hauled in four of his seven targets for 31 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 29-20 loss to the Giants.
Smith-Njigba finally cashed in his first receiving touchdown of the season after being held scoreless in Seattle's previous four contests. The sophomore receiver is now up to a 29-257-1 receiving line through five weeks, giving him modest fantasy value just past the quarter point of the regular season. Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks will have a short week of preparation ahead of Thursday's tilt against the 49ers.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Garners 12 targets on MNF
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Smith-Njigba finished with eight catches off of 12 targets for 51 yards in Monday's 42-29 loss to Detroit.
Smith-Njigba wound up tying DK Metcalf in targets (12) in Monday's exciting primetime matchup, but the latter produced the stronger fantasy line (7-104-0) compared to his upstart teammate. The lack of production makes the sophomore's performance feel underwhelming, but the fact that he garnered double-digit targets twice in Seattle's last three contests bodes well for his rest-of-season projections. JSN remains a solid deep-league play with upside heading into a Week 5 matchup against the Giants.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: WRs to Start
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Smith-Njigba has one game with more than 6.9 PPR points, which was Week 2 at New England when he scored 23.7 PPR points. This could be his second big game of the season at the Lions. Detroit has allowed five receivers to score at least 12.9 PPR points this season, and I expect the Seahawks to be throwing a lot in this matchup. DK Metcalf is a must-start receiver in all leagues, and Smith-Njigba is a low-end starter in all formats as well.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Catches all targets for 39 yards
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Smith-Njigba finished with three receptions on as many targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 24-3 win over the Dolphins.
The Seahawks took care of an undermanned Dolphins squad at home, resulting in a low-output game from Smith-Njigba. The sophomore wideout was coming off of his best game of the season, so fantasy managers should not give up on the youngster. Smith-Njigba will look to be more productive against the Lions next Monday.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Sleeper WRs
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Smith-Njigba got on track in a big way in Week 2 at New England with 12 catches for 117 yards on 16 targets, and hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. DK Metcalf is a must-start receiver in all leagues in Week 3 against Miami, and Smith-Njigba is a borderline No. 2 receiver in this matchup with the Dolphins. Tyler Lockett should just be considered a flier in the majority of leagues, and most Fantasy managers would rather see Metcalf and Smith-Njigba continue to dominate targets from Geno Smith.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: First 100-yard game
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Smith-Njigba recorded 12 receptions on 16 targets for 117 yards in Sunday's 23-20 overtime win over the Patriots.
The Seahawks showed more aggression through the air than in Week 1, and targets condensed around Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf. Metcalf stole the headlines with a 56-yard touchdown catch, but Smith-Njigba emerged as Geno Smith's favorite target in all areas of the field throughout the day. As a result, he was able to tally receptions of 24, 19, 16 and 14 yards to record the first 100-yard game of his career. The Seahawks' offensive strategy is likely to vary from week to week, but Smith-Njigba has gained the trust of Smith and will be a key part of the team's passing attack.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Just two catches in debut
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Smith-Njigba caught both of his targets for 19 total yards in Sunday's 26-20 win over the Broncos.
It was an underwhelming performance for the second-year receiver, especially with Tyler Lockett catching six passes for 77 yards and DK Metcalf catching three passes for 29 yards. Still, it's encouraging that Smith-Njigba played 53 of 67 offensive snaps (79 percent) while Lockett played just 26 snaps (54 percent). That bodes well for his long-term outlook, but he may have a tough Week 2 matchup on tap against a Patriots team that just held Joe Burrow to 164 passing yards.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Pair of catches in preseason finale
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Smith-Njigba brought in both his targets for 32 yards in the Seahawks' 37-33 preseason win over the Browns on Saturday night.
Smith-Njigba was out there with DK Metcalf as the starting wideout duo for Geno Smith on Seattle's opening possession, and the former made good use of his opportunity. Smith-Njigba was the target on Smith's first completion, which resulted in a 25-yard gain down the right side of the field. The 2023 first-round pick added a seven-yard grab later in the drive, and he projects to open the regular season as the No. 3 receiver behind Metcalf and Tyler Lockett (leg). However, he could very well improve that standing as the campaign unfolds.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Two catches in preseason opener
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Smith-Njigba brought in both targets for 13 yards in the Seahawks' 16-3 preseason win over the Chargers on Saturday night.
The second-year wideout operated as the de facto No. 1 receiver for spot starter Sam Howell due to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf both being held out. Both of Smith-Njigba's catches came on the Seahawks' third possession, and looking ahead to the 2024 regular season, the 2023 first-round pick could make a serious push to overtake Lockett for No. 2 receiver duties after posting a solid 63-628-4 line across 17 regular-season games as a rookie.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Back at practice
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Smith-Njigba (shoulder) participated in Wednesday's practice, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Smith-Njigba made multiple contested catches during practice, including a 50-yard toss from Geno Smith, showing he is past the shoulder injury that forced him from OTAs in June. Dugar projects that Smith-Njigba will take the next step in the offense this season and challenge defenses at every level, something we rarely saw in 2023 when he was mainly used as an underneath target. Still, his exact role is to be determined, as commanding targets away from DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett is a tall task.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Exits practice with shoulder injury
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Smith-Njigba left Wednesday's practice early with a shoulder injury that coach Mike Macdonald doesn't consider serious, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.
Macdonald canceled the last day of minicamp (Thursday) to reward his players for a good offseason, so Smith-Njigba's next opportunity to practice will be at the start of training camp in late July. It sounds like the Seahawks expect him to be healthy before then, but we may not have confirmation for a while with players and teams going their separate ways during the league's summer break.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Notches TD on only catch Sunday
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Smith-Njigba gathered in one of two passes for 12 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Steelers.
The target count matched Smith-Njigba's second fewest in a game on the season, but he reached the end zone from 12 yards out to salvage his Week 17. Meanwhile, all of WRs DK Metcalf (eight) and Tyler Lockett (five), TE Noah Fant (six) and RB Zach Charbonnet (five) were targeted on at least five occasions. Smith-Njigba will aim to get back on track Week 18 on the road against a Cardinals defense that has given up the fifth-most yards per target (8.9) to opposing wide receivers on the campaign.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Full practice Thursday
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Smith-Njigba (knee) practiced fully Thursday, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.
After a knee injury resulted in Smith-Njigba being limited at Wednesday's walkthrough, the rookie wide receiver was able to handle every practice rep one day later, paving the way for him to suit up Sunday against the Steelers. The same can be said for undrafted rookie WR Jake Bobo (knee), while Dee Eskridge (ribs) didn't practice again Thursday and DK Metcalf (back) was added to the Seahawks' injury report as a DNP. There's no indication yet that Metcalf may be in danger of sitting out this weekend, but if he's inhibited or inactive, Smith-Njigba would be in line for a bigger workload alongside Tyler Lockett.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Dealing with knee concern
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Smith-Njigba was limited at Wednesday's walkthrough due to a knee injury, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Smith-Njigba consistently has earned a snap share of at least 60 percent per game since the Seahawks' Week 5 bye, recording a 47-540-3 receiving line on 66 targets over the last 11 contests. The rookie first-round pick has yet to break through with the first signature performance of his career, though, which isn't a shock on a team that stresses the run game and also features veteran wide receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Smith-Njigba will now have to work his way past a health concern in order to suit up Sunday versus the Steelers.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Hauls in six passes Sunday
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Smith-Njigba recorded six catches (on seven targets) for 61 yards during Sunday's 20-17 win at Tennessee.
Smith-Njigba welcomed back Geno Smith (groin) to the lineup after the quarterback missed the previous two games. While Smith-Njigba's output wasn't out of the realm of previous games during his rookie campaign, he surpassed 60 yards receiving for the fourth time in 15 contests and was only three yards shy of setting a new career high. As long as DK Metcalf (4-56-1 on six targets Sunday) and Tyler Lockett (8-81-0 on 11 targets) are healthy, Smith-Njigba will continue to play third fiddle, at best, in the Seahawks' passing game. Smith-Njigba's next chance to produce arrives Sunday, Dec. 31 against the Steelers.
Smith-Njigba caught all four of his targets for 48 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 20-17 win over Philadelphia.
Smith-Njigba played the role of hero for Seattle when he caught the game-winning touchdown with just seconds left in Monday's narrow victory. The rookie wideout had just three catches on three targets for 19 yards prior to scoring in the closing moments, so his role remains small despite producing a solid fantasy line in the win. Smith-Njigba should continue offering deep-league value when the Seahawks take on the Titans in Week 16.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Catches four passes
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Smith-Njigba caught four of seven targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 28-16 loss to the 49ers.
Smith-Njigba looked like he was starting to heat up ahead of Week 14. However, Drew Lock got the starting nod in place of Geno Smith (groin), and Smith-Njigba only caught short passes as a result. Smith-Njigba's longest catch of the day was for 11 yards against this fierce divisional foe. He'll continue to work as the No. 3 wideout in this rotation, but the rookie's upside has been limited all year. He has yet to surpass 63 receiving yards in a game, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Finishes third in receiving yards
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Smith-Njigba had three receptions on six targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 17-16 loss to the Rams.
Smith-Njigba would have had a fourth reception for 22 additional yards had the Rams not challenged the wideout's diving attempt in the first quarter and had the call correctly changed to an incompletion. Still, it was another solid outing from Seattle's slot receiver, who is averaging four receptions and 50.5 yards in six games since the team's bye in Week 5. Smith-Njigba should continue providing consistent value to managers in deeper leagues when the Seahawks host the 49ers for Thursday Night Football in Week 12.
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Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Sleeper WRs
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Smith-Njigba cooled off in Week 10 against Washington with only four catches for 53 yards on five targets. Prior to that, he scored at least 12.3 PPR points in three games in a row, and I hope he gets back to that level in Week 11 against the Rams. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are still the top two Fantasy receivers for the Seahawks, and both are dominating targets, which makes sense. But Smith-Njigba can still be a serviceable No. 3 Fantasy receiver in this matchup. The Rams have allowed four receivers to score at least 12.9 PPR points in their past three games.