DeVonta Smith vs Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Who Should You Start?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DeVonta Smith are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver averaged 17.7 PPG in 2025, a full 8.1 points per game ahead of DeVonta Smith's 9.6 with the Philadelphia Eagles. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
That 8.1-point weekly advantage for Jaxon Smith-Njigba is meaningful but not automatic. Fantasy football is a week-to-week sport, and the answer to "who should I start" often changes based on opponent, recent form, and game environment. Season averages set the baseline; weekly context makes the call.
Target volume is the story here. Jaxon Smith-Njigba saw 163 targets in 2025, while DeVonta Smith drew 113. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, even in weeks where DeVonta Smith posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
DeVonta Smith has his bye in Week 9, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba rests in Week 8. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at wide receiver for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
