Sep 30, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs the ball against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at Ford Field. Eamon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Analyst: JSN will be Seahawks' WR1 over Cooper Kupp, and it won't be close

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated May 25, 2025 8:00 PM ET

When the Seattle Seahawks selected Jaxon Smith-Njigba No. 20 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, the franchise was future-proofing its stable of pass-catchers. At the time, DK Metcalf was entering his fifth season and Tyler Lockett was heading into his ninth. Smith-Njigba was Seattle's third receiving option as a rookie.

Now, with Metcalf (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Lockett (Tennessee Titans) joining new teams for the first time in their careers, Smith-Njigba is primed to take over as Seattle's top wide receiver — even with former triple crown winner Cooper Kupp now in the building.

Rotoballer's Joey Pollizze predicts Smith-Njigba will build on his career-best numbers of 100 catches, 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdowns from 2024. From a fantasy perspective, in particular, Pollizze anticipates Smith-Njigba leading the group for Seattle. That's mostly because of Kupp's inability to stay healthy the last three seasons.

"Both Kupp and Smith-Njigba will be heavily involved in this new look offense," Pollizze wrote. "They will be the top options for Darnold in the passing game and should be solid fantasy plays throughout the year. However, Smith-Njigba will be the WR1 for the Seahawks during the 2025-2026 season.

"He is coming off a breakout year in 2024, and it's hard to imagine that he won't be the featured option in this Seattle offense. Therefore, Smith-Njigba is a fantastic pick early in 2025 fantasy football drafts. The 23-year-old will enter the year as a low-end WR1 in all fantasy formats."

Kupp finished last season with 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns, but that was in just 12 games. The 31-year-old wide receiver can clearly still be among the league's top receivers when healthy, as he was on pace for 95 catches, 1,006 yards and 9 touchdowns. If Kupp and Smith-Njigba both went over 1,000 yards receiving, the Seahawks' passing game could be among the top in the NFL.

Moving into a top receiver role will be a big step for Smith-Njigba, who churned out most of his production from the slot a year ago. He can move out wide, however, and still has plenty of room to improve. Seattle hasn't seen his ceiling quite yet.