Jaxon Smith-Njigba is entering the 2026 NFL season with high expectations in fantasy football circles. According to a report by Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report named the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver as the fifth overall pick in their 2026 fantasy football draft rankings.
Smith-Njigba earned that projection off the back of a dominant 2025 season. He led the entire NFL in receiving yards with 1,793 and took home the AP Offensive Player of the Year award, one of the most prestigious individual honors in professional football.
The four players ranked ahead of him in the Bleacher Report projections are Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs at number one, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson at number two, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase at number three, and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua at number four.
Smith-Njigba is the only Seahawks player to appear in the top five. His presence in the ranking reflects how much his 2025 production shifted perceptions around the Seattle offense. He entered that season as a promising young receiver and left it as the league's top yardage producer at the position.
Replicating nearly 1,800 receiving yards in a single season is a significant task for any receiver. Fantasy analysts noted that matching his 2025 output will be difficult, but they still project another strong season from Seattle's number one target.
The 2026 NFL season has not yet begun, and fantasy drafts are ongoing across the country as team managers finalize their rosters. Where Smith-Njigba ultimately lands in individual league drafts will depend on how managers weigh his 2025 performance against the difficulty of repeating it.
