Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs Puka Nacua
2026 draft comparison · half-PPR
Updated Jul 5, 2026
Should you draft Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Puka Nacua?
The matchup
Smith-Njigba turned 163 targets into 10 touchdowns last year, and the target load is the sturdy part: Seattle builds its passing game around him, and adding Cooper Kupp doesn't change who the offense runs through. Even if his efficiency on deep balls comes down from a career year, that volume is his to lose. Nacua also scored 10 times, but he got there catching close to 80% of what Stafford threw — and Stafford's touchdown rate last year was the highest of his career, the kind of number that usually drops back the following season. Nacua's target volume can hold and his touchdown total still falls. So both arrive at 10 touchdowns from opposite starting points: one built on how much comes his way, the other on a conversion rate that ran hot.
AI-written, fact-checked summary. Neutral — no pick implied.
Last season — 2025, per game
Full game log & past seasons
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | TGT | REC | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | SF | 14.9 | WR14 | 13 | 9 | 124 | 0 |
2 | PIT | 14.3 | WR19 | 10 | 8 | 103 | 0 |
3 | NO | 18.1 | WR7 | 6 | 5 | 96 | 1 |
4 | ARI | 11.0 | WR25 | 5 | 4 | 79 | 0 |
5 | TB | 23.2 | WR3 | 9 | 8 | 132 | 1 |
6 | JAX | 26.2 | WR3 | 13 | 8 | 162 | 1 |
7 | HOU | 22.3 | WR7 | 14 | 8 | 123 | 1 |
8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
9 | WAS | 18.0 | WR9 | 9 | 8 | 129 | 0 |
10 | ARI | 17.8 | WR9 | 6 | 5 | 93 | 1 |
11 | LAR | 16.1 | WR10 | 12 | 9 | 105 | 0 |
12 | TEN | 33.1 | WR1 | 10 | 8 | 167 | 2 |
13 | MIN | 3.3 | WR71 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 0 |
14 | ATL | 24.6 | WR3 | 10 | 7 | 92 | 2 |
15 | IND | 14.8 | WR14 | 9 | 7 | 113 | 0 |
16 | LAR | 19.6 | WR6 | 13 | 8 | 96 | 1 |
17 | CAR | 11.7 | WR22 | 12 | 9 | 72 | 0 |
18 | SF | 11.4 | WR16 | 8 | 6 | 84 | 0 |
| WK | OPP | FPTS | RANK | TGT | REC | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | HOU | 18.1 | WR7 | 11 | 10 | 130 | 0 |
2 | TEN | 23.6 | WR6 | 9 | 8 | 91 | 0 |
3 | PHI | 17.3 | WR8 | 15 | 11 | 112 | 0 |
4 | IND | 29.5 | WR1 | 15 | 13 | 170 | 1 |
5 | SF | 19.5 | WR7 | 12 | 10 | 85 | 1 |
6 | BAL | 3.8 | WR64 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 0 |
7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
9 | NO | 19.3 | WR5 | 8 | 7 | 95 | 1 |
10 | SF | 14.9 | WR16 | 6 | 5 | 64 | 1 |
11 | SEA | 10.8 | WR18 | 8 | 7 | 75 | 0 |
12 | TB | 13.2 | WR16 | 11 | 7 | 97 | 0 |
13 | CAR | 10.2 | WR25 | 9 | 6 | 72 | 0 |
14 | ARI | 32.2 | WR1 | 11 | 7 | 167 | 2 |
15 | DET | 23.4 | WR2 | 11 | 9 | 181 | 0 |
16 | SEA | 40.5 | WR1 | 16 | 12 | 225 | 2 |
17 | ATL | 13.2 | WR14 | 10 | 5 | 47 | 1 |
18 | ARI | 21.0 | WR3 | 11 | 10 | 76 | 1 |
Latest takes
“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, on which he had an absurd 60% catch rate. Sam Darnold played out of his mind, and the Seahawks ran pure, so efficiency is always a concern when looking year to year for fantasy football.”
Tom Strachan· Jul 3“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.”
Nikhil Mehta· Jun 27“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is only 24 years old and is coming off a season in which he won the Offensive Player of the Year. He reeled in 119 catches for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 21.2 fantasy points per game average ranked second behind only Puka Nacua. Smith-Njigba finished in the top three in nearly every major efficiency metric, and he did that on a whopping 163 targets.”
Wolf Trelles-Heard· Jun 27
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“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year after leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards.”
Sharp Football Staff· Jun 24“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?”
Tom Strachan· Jun 17“It was a truly special year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, leading the league in receiving yards (1,794), catching 119 passes on 163 targets for 10 touchdowns, and helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 17“It was a truly special year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, leading the league in receiving yards (1,794), catching 119 passes on 163 targets for 10 touchdowns, and helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 6“The Seahawks have one of the league's best wide receivers in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”
Nikhil Mehta· May 10“That production resulted in a first-team All-Pro nod along with a Pro Bowl invitation in addition to OPOY honors. Smith-Njigba remained an important contributor on offense through Seattle's playoff run and helped the team win Super Bowl LX.”
Adam La Rose· Mar 24“His production saw a notable jump in 2024 (100 receptions, 1,130 yards, six touchdowns) before spiking once more this past season. With the Seahawks having traded away D.K. Metcalf, Smith-Njigba saw his yards per reception figure increase to a career-best 15.1. He also set a new personal mark with 10 touchdowns while leading the NFL in receiving yards.”
Adam La Rose· Mar 24“As a rookie, the former first-rounder averaged fewer than 37 receiving yards per game. Over time, though, Seattle's setup at the receiver spot has made Smith-Njigba more of a focal point.”
Adam La Rose· Mar 24“Jaxon Smith-Njigba has not needed to wait long to secure his Seahawks extension. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year agreed to terms with Seattle on Monday, with team and player finalizing a four-year, $168.6MM pact.”
Adam La Rose· Mar 24“Bobo will remain in place on a Seattle team which has Jaxon Smith-Njigba attached to a massive extension worked out earlier today.”
Adam La Rose· Mar 24“The Seahawks inked Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a record-breaking four-year, $168.6MM deal that resets the wide receiver position's average annual value ($42.15MM) and guarantees ($120MM).”
Ben Levine· Mar 24“With the salary cap surpassing $300MM, Smith-Njigba will aim to match or outpace Chase and Jefferson's pacts during negotiations.”
Adam La Rose· Mar 23
“The Rams have numerous players eligible for extensions this offseason, including WR Puka Nacua, DE Kobie Turner, OLB Byron Young, and G Steve Avila.”
Tony Camino· Jul 3“Other guys were commanding targets (Puka Nacua & Davante Adams) and Whittington's percentage plummeted.”
Kyle Borgognoni· Jul 3“Last season was by far Puka Nacua's most complete year in the NFL, with 10 receiving touchdowns. That was one more than he'd managed in his first two years combined. Touchdowns aren't always sticky, though, and before committing to Nacua this early, we have to consider that more in-depth. Stafford had a career-high 7.7% touchdown rate in 2025 — 0.9% higher than any other year in his career, and it's not unusual to see that kind of efficiency regress.”
Tom Strachan· Jul 3
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“Puka Nacua (ADP ~230, finished WR5 as a rookie) and Brian Thomas Jr. are the modern proof points. But pointing to them ex post does not make them findable ex ante – the average outcome at their ADP was still a miss.”
Samuel DiSorbo· Jun 30“A potential Puka Nacua Rams extension is covered in this week's mailbag.”
Adam La Rose· Jun 28“Even while the Rams shift offensive philosophy and use more heavy sets with multiple tight ends, Nacua continues to eat. It's rare to see a player of Nacua's caliber receive such small compensation, with his cap hit for 2026 at $1,204,244 compared to Justin Jefferson's $38,987,600.”
Jonathan Lange· Jun 25“Stafford is throwing to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, so it is not shocking that he was so efficient last season. But we have also seen him be less efficient in this system in the very recent past.”
Sharp Football Staff· Jun 25“Puka Nacua proved to be an elite high-volume target, leading the NFL with 129 receptions and averaging 107.2 yards per game while earning first-team All-Pro honors.”
Sharp Football Staff· Jun 24“Nacua is coming off a career-high 10 receiving touchdowns, which, until 2025, had been the only area of his game that lacked. Perhaps with an improving defense, the Rams don't go quite as pass-heavy this year, but Sean McVay has nearly always been aggressive, and Nacua deserves to be a top-five pick while Matthew Stafford is healthy.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 17“Off the field, Puka Nacua hasn't had a great offseason, and the Rams seem slightly hesitant to extend him, with reports suggesting that's not in their immediate plans, despite Nacua being extension-eligible and watching Jaxon Smith-Njigba reset the market. This sets Nacua up for what should be a massive prove-it year, both on and off the field.”
Tom Strachan· Jun 17“Most of the players from the last few rounds of your draft won't be on your roster at the end unless you hit on a 2023 Puka Nacua or 2025 Alec Pierce or another similar breakout story.”
Ryan Kirksey· Jun 17“With his declining ability and playing alongside Puka Nacua, he's not going to rack up targets like a usual fantasy WR1.”
Ted Chmyz· Jun 11“L.A. also has Turner, Byron Young, Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Warren McClendon.”
Sam Robinson· Jun 11“A record-setting extension for the Rams wide receiver is seen as a foregone conclusion, though Nacua's off-field decision-making could factor into the terms of his potential future extension and the Rams may decide there's something they need to see from Nacua before they can feel comfortable signing him long-term.”
Ely Allen· Jun 7“Even with one missed game last year, Nacua delivered on that momentum, setting new career highs with 129 receptions (most in the NFL), 1,715 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns.”
Ely Allen· Jun 7
So who do you have — Smith-Njigba or Nacua?
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