Fantasy Football Player Notes

Last year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba stepped up and put up what might be a career-best season for him when it's all said and done. I'm not saying that he will definitively fall off, but replicating his 2025 season will be tough no matter how you slice it. Last year, he posted the seventh-most receiving yards ever in a single season (1,793) and 119 receptions as the WR2 in fantasy points per game. He had 44.1% of Seattle's receiving yards, which was easily the highest mark in the NFL among receivers by a staggering 6.2%. The next closest was Puka Nacua with 37.9%. Smith-Njigba didn't have any new faces added to this Seattle passing attack in the offseason to threaten his usage at all, and he still has Sam Darnold under center, but we'll have to see how much losing Klint Kubiak impacts this offense. That loss won't tank his season, but it's a concern that has to be brought up. Last year, Smith-Njigba ranked first in target share (32.6%), second in receiving yards per game (105.5), second in yards per route run (3.74), and first in first-read share (44.6%, per Fantasy Points Data). Smith-Njigba is a top 3-5 fantasy receiver with an extremely high ceiling and elite floor.

Last year, after becoming a Seahawk, Rashid Shaheed had only a 61.9% route share, an 8.8% target share with 20.9 receiving yards per game, 1.05 yards per route run, and a 12.3% first-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). This type of usage isn't conducive to fantasy success. Yes, could it trend upward in 2026 with a full offseason to learn the ropes? Sure, but Seattle was 29th in 11 personnel usage last year (41.3%), and I don't see that changing this season. Unless Shaheed can hop Copper Kupp on the depth chart or Kupp gets injured, it will still be tough for Shaheed to see a 70-80% route share and be productive in a run-centric offense. I'm avoiding Shaheed in drafts in all formats.