Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs Amon-Ra St. Brown

“Fantasy Football Research & Advice Fantasy Football Expert Rankings 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Pick 1.04 Players to Consider at 1.04 Fantasy Football Draft Pick These players will likely be available when you make your selection: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) Puka Nacua (WR – LAR) Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA) Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF) It’s fair to assume at least one of Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs will be gone, if not both, as they’re the consensus top two picks.”

“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.”

“WR5 in expected PPG last year (17.4), just ahead of Jaxon Smith-Njigba (17.2) Most combined red-zone + downfield (15+ yard) targets per game in 2025: 1”

“Perhaps waiting to take Darnold for the stack with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the final round may have been wiser.”

“Flowers’ draft classmate, Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba , reset the market at over $42 million a year this offseason.”

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba proved last season that he is one of the best receivers in the league. He is a true No. 1 weapon, finishing with 1,700+ receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, nearly tripling the next-closest player on the team.”

“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.”

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year after leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards.”

“The only cause for concern is Klint Kubiak leaving to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which could lead to a dip in Sam Darnold's efficiency. The positive side, though, is that the team didn't make any major additions at receiver, aside from bringing back Rashid Shaheed. If Zach Charbonnet isn't back and rookie Jadarian Price can't adapt to the NFL quickly, could we see even more volume from Smith-Njigba?”

“Other notable cap hit: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, $10,371,329 (3.44 percent)”

“The Seahawks wasted no time rewarding reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the biggest wide receiver contract in NFL history this offseason.”

“St. Brown is arguably in the most stable offensive environment in the NFL. He plays 12 games indoors, and Detroit rarely takes the foot off the gas offensively.”

“St. Brown caught 117 receptions for 1,401 yards, and 11 TD’s. The wide receiver for the Lions has played at least 16 games or more in five seasons. Not only are we getting a player that can average 20 or more each week, the reliability is there as well.”

“Amon-Ra St. Brown Wide receivers to clear 3.00 yards per route run against both man and zone since 2016:”

“Brown (WR – DET) To kick things off, I took Amon-Ra St. Brown”

“The Detroit Lions are an interesting case, because everyone is pretty much where they should be: Jahmyr Gibbs is a top-two pick, Amon-Ra St. Brown is a fringe first-rounder, Jameson Williams is a WR2, and Sam LaPorta is a backend TE1 (and Jared Goff goes too late).”

“Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was voted as the fifth-best receiver in the NFL in a poll by execs and coaches around the league: “Savvy, knack for getting open, plays faster than his timed speed,” an NFL coordinator said.”

“Amon-Ra St. Brown is consistently viewed as a tier above Puka Nacua, Ja'Marr Chase and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In half-PPR formats, St. Brown has finished as the WR3 for three consecutive seasons.”

“Amon-Ra St. Brown continued his remarkable consistency in 2025, finishing as a top-3 fantasy WR for the third straight season. The Lions star once again dominated high-value usage, leading the NFL in red-zone targets. Even with Detroit transitioning to a new offensive coordinator in 2026, St. Brown's elite target share and reliable weekly production give him one of the safest floor/ceiling combos at the position.”

“Despite losing their offensive genius in Ben Johnson, Amon-Ra St. Brown still finished with 115+ receptions, 1,200+ receiving yards and 10+ touchdowns for the third straight year. Only Ja'Marr Chase (185) had more targets than St. Brown (172) in 2025.”

“St. Brown has been a paragon of consistency.”

“There might not be a safer wide receiver to draft in fantasy football than St. Brown. The superstar has four straight top-seven finishes, including three consecutive WR3 finishes, and averaged 19.1 PPR fantasy points per game last year, scoring 14.8 or more in over 70% of the outings.”

“Perhaps the ceiling gets capped slightly if Jameson Williams trends upwards and Sam LaPorta is healthier, but the Lions were bad last season, and the most important thing is that they might have a competent play-caller once again in Drew Petzing. The team has said they want to lean into what Jared Goff does best by using play-action passes heavily. That would be a bonus for St. Brown, who has consistently led the team in first-read target share on such plays.”