Jaxon Smith-Njigba Fantasy Football Spotlight: A Top 10 WR Finish

As anticipated by many fantasy football analysts, Jaxon Smith-Njigba delivered as a prime fantasy football value draft pick in 2024. In the preseason, we highlighted him as a fantasy WR4 draft pick who could significantly outperform his Average Draft Position of 45 at wide receiver in PPR leagues. He was consistently drafted in the eighth or ninth round in most leagues.

Displaying the abilities to challenge defenses at all levels with his crafty techniques and versatility as a pass-catcher, “JSN” soared into must-start territory as a fantasy option during the second half of the season. In what should be remembered as his true breakthrough fantasy performance, Smith-Njigba finished as the No. 1 WR in fantasy football for Week 9 with 37 PPR points against the Rams. He caught seven passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

JSN left no doubt that he had arrived as a fantasy standout in his next game, with 10 receptions on 11 targets for 110 yards vs. San Francisco for 21.8 points. From Weeks 9 through 9 through 16, JSN finished with 18-plus fantasy points six times in seven games. He caught five of his six TD passes for the season during that span.

Through 17 weeks, which most fantasy football leagues count for their regular season and playoffs, Smith-Njigba totaled 96 receptions for 1,121 yards and six TDs, finishing as the No. 7 WR in fantasy football for the 2024 campaign with 247.7 PPR points. He placed ahead of highly-drafted WRs such as Garrett Wilson, Mike Evans, A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill.

JSN averaged 15.5 points per game, which was top 15 overall. That sort of showing firmly places him in the high-end fantasy WR2 conversations for the 2025 season. He will be widely selected as a top 12 to 15 WR, likely in the late second to third round range in many ’25 drafts.

As Seahawks fans well know, Smith-Njigba went on to tie the franchise record for receptions in a season with 100. Per PlayerProfiler.com, he finished seventh among WRs in Yards After Catch, with 477, and was seventh in Juke Rate, JSN was also second in Route Win Rate, an advanced statistic that measures every route run by a receiver, and determines if he gained enough separation to be considered open.

When peering ahead to the 2025 fantasy football season, it’s clear that Smith-Njigba is going to be an integral part of core fantasy roster builds in the early rounds of seasonal drafts. JSN will model as an outstanding fantasy WR2 pick to give you a prime duo to start the draft, or he can function as a No. 1 fantasy WR if a running back is drafted first.