Ja'Marr Chase
vs Jaxon Smith-Njigba

“The underlying story is a game of contrasting approaches: Cincinnati leaned on a clean, mistake-free connection between Burrow and his two clear top targets (Chase and Higgins combined for 19 of Burrow’s 31 attempts with Chase scoring both touchdowns). Burrow himself turned in a mistake-free day (0 INT, 105.2 rating) despite 5 sacks. Burrow went 20-of-31 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns.”

“Early in the game, Chase made a highlight-reel touchdown catch, pinpointing the ball over his shoulder, then spinning around to catch it next to the pylon and tap his feet in the process. Social media rightfully went insane, oogling over the play. Chase added another touchdown reception later in the third quarter, and he led Cincinnati with seven receptions.”

“Cincy’s offensive line held up well, too, and Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase will have better days ahead, make no mistake about that. 9 — Chicago Bears (1-0, UP 3) Last week: W 59-37 vs. Carolina Panthers I don’t care what the defense looked like — put up 59 points in an NFL game and I’ll talk about you glowingly.”

“Even with that accounted for, Chase is averaging 19.9 PPG in his last 49 regular-season games. Relax, Chase will be fine. If his manager in your league is panicking, this may be your only chance to buy (somewhat) low.”

“Ja’Marr Chase is projected as the WR1 this week, with the WR1 value score at both DFS sites. In 34 games with Burrow playing at least 20 snaps since 2024, Chase has tallied 7.2 receptions per game, 91.7 receiving yards per game, 26 receiving touchdowns, 22.15 DraftKings points per game, 20.12 expected DraftKings points per game, 17.48 FanDuel points per game and 16.48 expected FanDuel points per game.”

“Mike takes the layup with Chase at the 1.03. If you are not getting one of the top RBs in Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson, how can you go wrong with a player who has finished as WR1 and WR4 the last two seasons? Chase should be operating as the top target for a fully healthy Joe Burrow, at least to start the season, and that has always been a recipe for success.”

“To start, I went with Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals have (at least on paper) one of the easiest schedules in the NFL this season, and Chase should have a target share of 30% or higher.”

“Chase is the WR1 in my rankings. Last year, he finished as the WR4, averaging 19.6 PPR fantasy points per game despite missing one contest with an injury and playing without Joe Burrow for half the season.”

“For two consecutive years, Chase has led the league in targets with 175 and 185, respectively. Chase also has two years with 1400 or more receiving yards, and his consistency is worth paying for.”

“Last week, with backup QB Drew Lock starting in place of the injured Sam Darnold (who’s expected back soon), Smith-Njigba had nine catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Smith is the Renoir of route runners. The Seahawks were featured in this summer’s HBO “Hard Knocks” series, and there was a fascinating segment that showed Smith-Njigba practicing his routes alone as teammates and coaches talked about his talents.”

“Through two games, Smith-Njigba has caught 17 of 22 targets for 277 yards and four TDs . That is a 77.3% catch rate while averaging 138.5 receiving yards per game , making it abundantly clear that he is picking up right where he left off as one of the premier WRs in fantasy. Next up is Washington, and as a Commanders fan, I am already preparing for the reckoning.”

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 11 targets, 9 rec Much like ARSB, I don’t need to go into much detail for JSN. He was drafted to be a stud and is paying off through two weeks. He has seen over a 40% target share in both games so far, and there’s no reason to believe that will come crashing down anytime soon, if at all.”

“IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 11 targets, 8 rec Another familiar name on the list, JSN’s 11 targets equated to a massive 46% target share. He led the NFL with a 36% target share last season, which may not be as unsustainable as it seems. Those targets, however, may be coming from Drew Lock for the next few games.”

“It was quite the surprise to see Jaxon Smith-Njigba available after the first four selections. We did weigh some of the running back options available, but ultimately felt that Smith-Njigba is the type of talent that can set you far apart from the rest of the league.”

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is coming off a season in which he had 35.8% of the Seahawks' targets and 50% of the team’s air yards He also led the league in receiving yards.”

“It was a truly special year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba , who led the league in receiving yards (1,793) and helped the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl. He also scored 10 touchdowns and was targeted a whopping 163 times (119 receptions).”

“It was a truly special year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, leading the league in receiving yards and helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl. The only cause for concern is Klint Kubiak, the former offensive coordinator, moving to become the Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints and a potential dip in efficiency from Sam Darnold .”

“Like Nacua, Smith-Njigba ranked outside the top 20 wide receivers in total routes run, at just 495 despite perfect health. Seattle was a run-first team by choice last year, but they also played a lot of un-competitive 2nd halves — at times induced by a Smith-Njigba eruption. I could see the team’s PROE rising given the changeover in their backfield, and could especially see the actual pass rate rise if the team plays more competitive games.”

“It's hard to ignore how efficient Jaxon Smith-Njigba was in 2025. Smith-Njigba ranked fifth in targets, but was second in receiving yards (1,794). Four of his touchdowns came on passes of 20+ yards downfield, with an absurd 60% catch rate.”