Jaxon Smith-Njigba
22-Year-Old
2024 Receiving Stats
REC
37
YDS
319
TD
1
AVG
8.6
TAR
55
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Smith-Njigba was a divisive prospect coming out of Ohio State last year, with his credentials as a first-round pick almost entirely dependent on his 1,600-yard sophomore season. He barely played as a freshman -- no crime in an offense loaded with future first-round WRs -- and then caught just five passes in three games during an injury-plagued junior campaign. Smith-Njigba excelled in agility drills at the 2023 Combine, but he skipped the 40-yard dash (later running a 4.48-4.53 at his pro day) and didn't make up for it with size (6-1, 196). Seattle took the plunge with the 20th overall pick, making "JSN" the first of four straight receivers drafted. Of the four, Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison definitely had better rookie seasons, while Quentin Johnston came away looking worse than Smith-Njigba. Truthfully, Smith-Njigba's unusual usage makes it tough to draw conclusions from his rookie season even though he took on 93 targets and 675 snaps in 17 games. He took 68 percent of his snaps either in the slot or lined up tight to the formation, and more than one-third of his targets came from behind the line of scrimmage. Smith-Njigba's failure to draw looks downfield might seem damning -- just 24 targets 10-plus yards from the LOS -- until you remember he was a 21-year-old in the same offense as a healthy DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. We can't project big volume with Metcalf and Lockett still around and QB Geno Smith still throwing the passes, but new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb could boost the pace and play volume relative to sluggish former OC Shane Waldron, and Smith-Njigba's continued development could allow him to overtake Lockett this year or next. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Single-digit yardage in win
Smith-Njigba brought in three of six targets for nine yards in the Seahawks' 34-14 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
Smith-Njigba was held to the second-lowest yardage total of his career by a Falcons defense that has been doing a good job keeping plays in front of it all season. The profoundly disappointing showing followed a relatively encouraging stretch of games for the second-year pro, who'd posted a 32-291-1 line on 47 targets in his previous five games. Given the atypical nature of his numbers Sunday, Smith-Njigba shapes up as a prime candidate for a bounce-back performance against the Bills at home in Week 8, especially if DK Metcalf is limited or sidelined by the knee injury that forced his exit from Sunday's game.
Smith-Njigba was held to the second-lowest yardage total of his career by a Falcons defense that has been doing a good job keeping plays in front of it all season. The profoundly disappointing showing followed a relatively encouraging stretch of games for the second-year pro, who'd posted a 32-291-1 line on 47 targets in his previous five games. Given the atypical nature of his numbers Sunday, Smith-Njigba shapes up as a prime candidate for a bounce-back performance against the Bills at home in Week 8, especially if DK Metcalf is limited or sidelined by the knee injury that forced his exit from Sunday's game.
NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 2024 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank.
The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Air Yards Per Game
60.0Air Yards Per Snap
1.09% Team Air Yards
21.1%% Team Targets
20.4%Avg Depth of Target
7.6 YdsCatch Rate
67.3%Drop Rate
3.6%Avg Yds After Catch
4.2% Targeted On Route
18.3%Avg Yds Per Route Run
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2024
2023
2024 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Jaxon Smith-Njigba lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
Detailed
Grouped
Side
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Bills pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
vs Bills
Sunday, Oct 27th at 4:05PM
Overall QB Rating Against
70.3
Cornerbacks
66.3
Safeties
67.4
Linebackers
81.1
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2024 Jaxon Smith-Njigba Split Stats
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Measurables Review
View College Player Page
How do Jaxon Smith-Njigba's measurables compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* All metrics are from his Pro Day (not the combine).
Height
6' 0"Weight
197 lbs40-Yard Dash
4.52 secShuttle Time
4.21 secHand Length
9.00 inArm Length
30.62 in
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2023 Fantasy Outlook
Smith-Njigba didn't play much as a freshman at Ohio State and was limited to three appearances as a junior while battling hamstring injuries, but in between he put up 1,606 yards as a sophomore in an offense that also featured 2022 first-round picks Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. For what it's worth, Wilson has said Smith-Njigba is the best player of the trio -- a statement that became all the more interesting when both Wilson and Olave topped 1,000 yards as NFL rookies. While he doesn't quite have the straight-line speed to match his college teammates, the slot-based Smith-Njigba made waves at the 2023 combine with elite marks in the three-cone drill (6.57 seconds) and short shuttle (3.93). That's like where he'll play for the Seahawks, who made him the first wide receiver selected in this year's draft at 20th overall. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett figure to dominate the targets, but Smith-Njigba gives Seattle a third wideout it's lacked in recent years and could make an immediate impact in three-receiver sets.
More Fantasy News
Solid showing in loss
Smith-Njigba brought in five of nine targets for 53 yards and committed a fumble recovered by Seattle in the Seahawks' 36-24 loss to the 49ers on Thursday night.
ANALYSIS
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Hits paydirt Sunday
Smith-Njigba hauled in four of his seven targets for 31 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 29-20 loss to the Giants.
ANALYSIS
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Garners 12 targets on MNF
Smith-Njigba finished with eight catches off of 12 targets for 51 yards in Monday's 42-29 loss to Detroit.
ANALYSIS
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Catches all targets for 39 yards
Smith-Njigba finished with three receptions on as many targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 24-3 win over the Dolphins.
ANALYSIS
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First 100-yard game
Smith-Njigba recorded 12 receptions on 16 targets for 117 yards in Sunday's 23-20 overtime win over the Patriots.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Plays much more than Lockett
Smith-Njigba played 48 snaps on offense to Tyler Lockett's 31 in Sunday's 26-20 win over the Broncos, per Mike Clay of ESPN.
ANALYSIS
Smith-Njigba was just four snaps short of DK Metcalf's team-leading total among wide receivers, but JSN had just 19 yards on two targets. Conversely, Lockett led the team with six catches for 77 yards on seven targets. Lockett's modest playing time may have been due in part to the thigh injury he had been nursing coming into the game, so Smith-Njigba may not have overtaken one of Seattle's two veteran wide receivers in the pecking order just yet.
Smith-Njigba was just four snaps short of DK Metcalf's team-leading total among wide receivers, but JSN had just 19 yards on two targets. Conversely, Lockett led the team with six catches for 77 yards on seven targets. Lockett's modest playing time may have been due in part to the thigh injury he had been nursing coming into the game, so Smith-Njigba may not have overtaken one of Seattle's two veteran wide receivers in the pecking order just yet.