Saquon Barkley
vs Jaxon Smith-Njigba

“News Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley are considered week-to-week with lower-body injuries.”

“With a soft schedule for running backs the rest of the way, Barkley is a guy I’d be hunting for. The fantasy points will start flowing soon; he won’t stay down like this for long. If I could turn a receiver like Rashee Rice into Barkley, I’d be a happy camper.” – Wolf Trelles-Heard ( FantasyPros )”

“Best Bet: Saquon Barkley to Lead the NFL in Rushing Yards (+1000) Saquon Barkley is my value candidate who may be underpriced despite his clear path to volume.”

“Saquon Barkley had a down season in 2025, but he is still a dynamic workhorse who could easily have a bounce-back season with coordinator Sean Mannion at the helm of the offense.”

“Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) Yes, last season was pretty awful for Saquon Barkley and those who drafted him, but the warning signs were there. Barkley had an absurd number of touches in 2024.”

“In a standard scoring league, Saquon Barkley was the smart move, especially since six running backs went in the first nine picks. 2.”

“I think Barkley could have a bounce-back year, and he is being underrated. After he was going 1.01 in drafts, most fantasy owners will rightfully feel burned by him this year.”

“After an insane 2024 season, Saquon Barkley was poised to come back down to earth some in 2025.”

“Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) After running laps around the position in 2024, Saquon Barkley’s finish of RB14 was a shock. Despite only missing one game, he scored 214 fantasy points compared to the 339 points he scored in 2024.”

“Given the season he had in 2024 and the expectations created for gamers, Barkley may have produced the most disappointing 1,413-yard, 9-touchdown season in history. Regression was certainly expected coming off his historic run the year before, and a lot went wrong for this offense.”

“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.”