The Seattle Seahawks will face the Buffalo Bills in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Is Jaxon Smith-Njigba Playing in Week 8?
Smith-Njigba is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Seahawks’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Week 8?
It’s rarely a good sign when the clear highlight of a receiver’s day was a pass he threw, not one he caught, but that was the case for Seattle’s second-year receiver in Week 7. On a trick play, Jaxon Smith-Njigba threw something of a prayer to DK Metcalf, and it was answered for a 35-yard gain.
Outside of that, we saw JSN get his hands on the ball just three times on six targets, totaling nine yards.
Gross.
Like everyone else, I was underwhelmed by what we saw from Smith-Njigba on Sunday in a 34-point effort from the Seahawks, but I’m not holding it against him. Do you want to know why? It was never a good spot. I penned this in our betting content ahead of the dud.
“Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Led astray.”
Any old-timey words that I’m missing? That’s how I felt after getting excited about JSN giving us a 10.6 aDOT (169 air yards) in the Week 2 win in New England. It looked like the true start of a Year 2 breakout, and … it wasn’t.
For the next three weeks, Smith-Njigba totaled 131 air yards (6.0 aDOT), reverting to the role he filled as a rookie. In Week 6 against the 49ers, we got another glimpse of those downfield looks (10.6 aDOT, 95 air yards), but I’m not getting sucked in. Not again.
The Falcons are one of four defenses in the NFL to rank in the bottom quarter of the league in both overall pressure rate and pressure rate when blitzing. In short, they can’t get to the quarterback. That’s great news for Seattle’s offense as a whole, but not JSN.
When Geno Smith is pressured:
- DK Metcalf/Tyler Lockett: 72.1% catch rate
- Smith-Njigba: 61.3% catch rate
When Smith is not pressured:
- Metcalf/Lockett: 39.4% catch rate
- Smith-Njigba: 83.3% catch rate
Smith-Njigba targets are comfort food for Smith, a role that I don’t think will be needed in this specific spot. The Falcons also allow the ninth-fewest yards per catch after the reception this season, further limiting JSN’s impact and/or the team’s desire to feature him.
Add in the fact that Atlanta ranks 26th against the run by EPA, and this could be a heavy Kenneth Walker III game. Smith-Njigba has gone under both of these numbers three times this season and, in my opinion, has more outs to cash these tickets than make us regret them.
- Pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba under 4.5 receptions (+110 at DraftKings)
- Pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba under 49.5 receiving yards (-120)
The Bills are another low-pressure team, but they rank in the top third of the NFL in pressure rate when blitzing and the bottom third in terms of yards allowed after the completion. I’m not targeting Smith-Njigba overs for my betting card this week, but this is a much better spot than the one he walked into last week.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Smith-Njigba is projected to score 13.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 6.1 receptions for 57.2 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks Insights
Buffalo Bills
Team: This is an important stretch for the Bills. They have the Seahawks this week, the Dolphins in Week 9, and the Colts in Week 10. After that, they play three Super Bowl contenders in their next four games (Chiefs, 49ers, and Lions).
QB: Josh Allen has thrown 12 TD with 0 interceptions this season. He’s the second QB to throw at least 12 TD with no picks through seven games in NFL history (Alex Smith had 15 TDs and 0 Int in 2017 on the Kansas City Chiefs).
Offense: The Bills have the best turnover differential in the league through seven weeks (+1.43 per game).
Defense: The Bills allow just 4.2 yards per fourth-quarter pass, the second-lowest rate in the league (Cowboys).
Fantasy: Amari Cooper was targeted on five of his 12 routes (41.7%), which is easily the highest target rate by any Bills player in a game this season. It’s also the highest target rate in any game of Cooper’s career (min. 5 routes run).
Betting: #BillsMafia might travel well, but the offense hasn’t of late – unders are 15-5 in Buffalo’s past 20 road regular season games.
Seattle Seahawks
Team: Seattle has a pair of home games before its Week 10 bye. It comes out of the bye with three divisional games in a four-game stretch.
QB: Geno Smith’s in-pocket touchdown rate is trending down for a second consecutive season, while his interception rate is ticking up again.
Offense: The Seahawks are averaging 4.9 offensive penalties per game (only the Browns average more).
Defense: The Seahawks allowed a league-low 5.4 yards per pass to the slot this season (NFL average: 7.7 yards).
Fantasy: Kenneth Walker III has been a top-15 running back (PPR) in every game he has played this season.
Betting: The Seahawks are just 1-5-1 ATS in their past seven home games under Geno Smith.
