NFL Breaking News : Jaxon Smith-Njigba Suffers Broken Wrist & Impact on Seattle Seahawks
Every year, real football comes along to ruin our fantasy football hopes and dreams. That proved true once again as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported today that Seattle Seahawks first-round rookie wide receiver out of Ohio State, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, suffered a broken wrist that he will have surgery on today in Philadelphia.
He reportedly hurt it against the Dallas Cowboys in the Seahawks' Week 2 preseason game on Saturday as the NFL injury monster claims another one. You can see all of our takeaways with a brief recap from the second week of preseason games here but, for now, let’s take a look at how the injury might affect fantasy football ADP and our fantasy football rankings in terms of JSN, Geno Smith, Tyler Lockett, and DK Metcalf.
Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Injury Outlook
The success of the surgery will determine everything but there are reports that he MAY be ready to go for Week 1 of the NFL season. Even then, he is losing crucial time to earn the trust of Geno Smith and gain ground in the battle for snaps and targets. Right now we expect DK Metcalf to maintain his role as the split end given that he’s a bigger-bodied outside receiver. In the first preseason game, Jaxon Smith-Njigba primarily played slot and came out for two WR sets. But, in the second game, he actually played nine snaps out wide to five in the slot, which made us hopeful that maybe JSN could be the full-time wideout opposite DK Metcalf, with Tyler Lockett being the part-time player. This injury puts those hopes on the back burner for now. The earlier he can return, the better.
Fantasy Football Impact of Jaxon Smith-Njigba Injury News
We already weren’t fading DK Metcalf since his role should be unchanged regardless. And we liked DK Metcalf. Even if JSN were to miss significant time, this injury wouldn’t make anyone else from down the depth chart fantasy relevant in all but the deepest leagues (guys like Noah Fant weren’t particularly relevant last year regardless). It really boils down to Tyler Lockett vs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba which, based on our composite ADP, JSN at pick 85 was starting to gain ground on Lockett (69).
Things may swap down the stretch with JSN taking snaps away from Lockett but we actually predicted more of a “Chris Godwin” type start to JSN’s career. In the early going, Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson were the split-end and flanker with Godwin relegated to a part-time share in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense. Once Godwin became a full-time player, it was wheels up. With the injury to Smith-Njigba, that’s now a more likely scenario than ever in his rookie season. So we are still more comfortable drafting DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett at ADP than Jaxon Smith-Njiba. And it might make more sense now to draft other rookies with a clearer path, like Jordan Addison or Zay Flowers, ahead of JSN. Especially until we have a timeline.
NFL Links:
- 2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT GUIDE
- 2023 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
- 2023 NFL Pre-Season Player Projections
- 2023 Fantasy Football Position Rankings
- 2023 NFL Preseason Week 2 Roundup and Fantasy Football Advice
Player News
49ers signed No. 11 pick EDGE Mykel Williams to a four-year contract.
The deal is worth $24.9 million and is fully guaranteed. As is the case with all first-round picks, his contract includes a fifth-year option. The 49ers shed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts this offseason and the bulk of those savings came on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end was an obvious position of need and Williams was widely regarded as the best pass-rusher on the board when 49ers GM John Lynch was on the clock. Williams totaled five sacks in 2024 and left Georgia with 14 sacks across three seasons as a starter.
Vikings signed No. 24 pick OG Donovan Jackson to a four-year contract.
It’s a fully guaranteed deal worth $17.2 million with a fifth-year team option. Minnesota taking Jackson with the 24th-overall pick came as a bit of a surprise on draft night, but the Vikings needed offensive line help and Jackson was considered worthy of a first-round pick by some draftniks. He was primarily a left guard at Ohio State but successfully kicked out to tackle for the bulk of his senior season. Jackson is likely fated for guard duties in Minnesota, but the positional versatility remains a plus.
Titans claimed Anfernee Orji off waivers from the Saints.
Orji played primarily on special teams in New Orleans but was credited with two starts across 16 appearances. He totaled 30 combined tackles and a pair of TFLs. Orji will need to continue seeing work on special teams to make the Titans’ roster.
Patriots signed RB Trayveon Williams, formerly of the Bengals.
Henderson was passed on the Cincinnati depth chart by Chase Brown last year and the team even traded for Khalil Herbert midseason. Despite having no role on offense, Williams was active for all 17 games as a special teamer. He will likely hold a similar role in New England if he cracks the team’s 53-man roster.
Free agent RB Jordan Mims worked out for the Patriots.
The Pats also worked out former Bengals running back Trayveon Williams. Mims ran 20 times for 70 yards in 2024 while adding 12 catches for 71 yards through the air. He also got some run on special teams. The Patriots are looking for some extra depth at running back, but there isn’t room for another fantasy-relevant option behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Jaguars signed TE Quintin Morris, formerly of the Bills, to a one-year contract.
Morris is purely a blocking tight end. He caught just 15 passes during his three years with the Bills, though he did manage to find the end zone three times. Morris will back up Brenton Strange in Jacksonville.