Jaxon

Smith-Njigba

It was his worst line of the season by pure yardage, but as in the other game he dudded (23 yards against Max Brosmer’s Vikings), it came in a game the Seahawks choked the life out of early. His touchdown catch was phenomenal, a toe tap near the back of the end zone as Sam Darnold drifted out to his left. Playoff Best Ball drafters will hope the Rams or Bears can put up more of an offensive show against Seattle’s incredible defense in the NFC Championship game.

A floor game for the third-year star. Smith-Njigba managed no red zone targets as the Seahawks played very run-heavy, and his one near-catch out of that area was heavily contested in double coverage. Smith-Njigba will get next week off as the Seahawks await the Wild Card round results as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

That’s “just” 16.2 PPR points for those scoring at home. Hardly ruinous, but Smith-Njigba failed to single-handedly win finals matchups. JSN divided his production nearly evenly between halves, and just never got a chance to make a big play down the field. That’s how so many weeks were won en route to one of this season’s highest “advance rates.” Still pursuing several statistical milestones as the Seahawks pursue the NFC’s No. 1 seed, Smith-Njigba should be in for a regular week of usage against the 49ers in Week 18.

It was an abysmal first half for JSN, as the wideout was held without a catch on just one target. The second half proved far more fruitful, and then an extra period allowed him to reach 10 touchdowns on a connection with Sam Darnold. Outside of a clunker against Minnesota, Smith-Njigba has been nothing short of dominant, and a couple of big games in Weeks 17 and 18 give him a chance to break the all-time receiving yards record. His next opportunity to pile up the receptions comes against the Panthers in Week 17.

JSN, as usual, dominated targets in the balanced Seahawks offense, and functioned as Sam Darnold’s go-to guy on every big down in a close game against 44-year-old Philip Rivers and the Colts. Incredibly, this was JSN’s ninth game with more than 100 receiving yards. This was only the sixth game of the season in which Smith-Njigba did not score a touchdown. Smith-Njigba will once again be an elite fantasy play in Week 16 against the Rams. He had nine catches for 105 scoreless yards the last time Seattle played the Rams.

Coming off his worst game of the year by far, Seattle made it a point to get JSN going early with six targets on the team’s first two drives. While forcefeeding him looks didn’t results in loads of production, it was a sign of good things to come. JSN came up big in the second quarter by taking a crossing route the distance for nearly 30 yards. He scored again on a scramble drill inside the five during the fourth quarter. While JSN’s fantasy outlook was revealed to be less than bulletproof with just 23 yards in Week 13, he is still on pace for one of the greatest seasons in league history. He will remain atop the WR1 ranks for Week 15 versus the Colts.

It was by far Smith-Njigba’s worst outing of the season. He had incredibly not had a game below 79 receiving yards through Week 12 as the engine of the entire Seattle offense. Game script went sideways in a hurry in this one, as the Seahawks defense dismantled the Max Brosmer-led Minnesota offense and left the Seattle offense in clock killing mode as early as the third quarter. A slow game was bound to happen for JSN eventually. He remains on pace for an historic 2025 campaign. JSN and the Seahawks will face the Falcons in Week 14.

Already the league’s leading receiver by a considerable distance coming into the proceedings, Smith-Njigba decided to have his best game yet. The 167 yards were a new season high, while the two-touchdown effort was his first of 2025. Score No. 1 was a 63-yarder where he somehow got matched up with a safety 1-on-1. JSN had to come back to the ball, but still ended up making mincemeat of Amani Hooker. Again matched up on a safety in the third quarter, JSN hauled in a 56-yard gain before finishing the drive with a 13-yard score two plays later. Simply playing out of his mind as a perfect stylistic fit with OC Klint Kubiak and QB Sam Darnold, Smith-Njigba is running away with the receiving yardage crown to a degree that will make him difficult to catch. Week 13 opponent Minnesota is prone to giving up big plays deep.

It was Smith-Njigba’s seventh game this season with more than 100 receiving yards. He was targeted on 26 percent of his pass routes and had one of the best catches of the NFL season — a one-handed stab near the sideline on an off-target throw from Sam Darnold. JSN’s domination of air yards and targets in the balanced Seattle offense makes him the safest player in fantasy. He’ll be an elite option against the Titans in Week 12.

Smith-Njigba somehow got there for fantasy purposes in a game that saw Sam Darnold log just 13 drop backs before the Seahawks shut down their offense up 35-0 in the second quarter. JSN accounted for 53 percent of Seattle’s receiving yards and was targeted on a whopping 46 percent of his pass routes. His touchdown was his sixth of the season. Smith-Njigba was checked for a concussion in the second quarter; his practice status should be monitored this week ahead of the Seahawks’ Week 11 game against the Rams.