Jaxon Smith-Njigba is clocking in at 4.02 yards per route run this season, a monstrous number that only Zay Flowers has managed to top in the entire league! Our guy is out there balling, proving he’s one of the most efficient receivers in football right now. But is anyone outside the Emerald City giving him the respect he deserves? Probably not.
Zay Flowers Hits a Roadblock Just as He Got Rolling
Listen, we gotta give Flowers his props, at least for his early season. This dude was tearing it up! It’s no joke to say he was one of the very best wideouts in the game. His 39.3% target per route run rate is leading *all* receivers, and get this, it’s three points higher than even Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Flowers’ 6.29 yards per route run is two full yards better than Jaxon’s incredible 4.02, a number you rarely see sustained. He was averaging a wild 22.4 Fantasy points per game, which is sixth-best, even though he didn’t play more than 33% of the offensive snaps until Week 4. He was looking like an obvious, must-start, set-it-and-forget-it player, right? But then BAM! Lamar Jackson goes down with an ankle injury, and Tyler Huntley is projected to start Week 5. That’s a huge gut punch. Huntley’s made 16 career starts, averaging just 156.9 passing yards per game, with 10 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He’s probably going to have the lowest projected passing yards this week in the whole league. That’s not the kind of offense that cranks out top-20, let alone top-5, receivers. If you project Huntley throwing 26 passes and Flowers getting targeted on 30% of them, you’re looking at maybe eight targets. With Huntley completing 64.5% of his passes, that’s five catches. Flowers has been responsible for nearly half of the Ravens’ receiving yards when he’s on the field (49.6% this year), so even if you split the difference from last year, you’re looking at about 70 yards. Five catches for 70 yards and a *maybe* touchdown? That makes Flowers a WR2, a far cry from the elite production he was putting up. Talk about a buzzkill.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Continues to Shine Under the Radar
While Flowers’ situation just got a whole lot cloudier, our guy Jaxon Smith-Njigba is just quietly dominating out there, stacking up elite numbers. We already talked about his 4.02 yards per route run, which is absolutely stellar and puts him right behind Flowers among the league’s best. And remember that 39.3% target per route run rate from Flowers? The source flat out says that’s “three points higher than Jaxon Smith-Njigba.” That means Jaxon is right there in the top tier when it comes to earning targets. When you look at those numbers, it’s pretty clear Jaxon isn’t just a part of this Hawks offense, he’s becoming a go-to playmaker who is earning his looks and making the most of them. He’s proving he’s got that elite efficiency, that ability to turn routes into big yardage, and the trust from Sam Darnold. The league might be sleeping on him right now, but we in Seattle know what’s up.
This Week 5 situation might be a wake-up call for Flowers’ fantasy owners, but for us Hawks fans, it’s just another reminder of the consistent, high-level play we’re getting from Jaxon. He’s consistently producing at an elite level, and that’s exactly what you want to see from a foundational piece of our offense. Keep your eyes on Jaxon, 12s, because he’s just getting started and proving he’s got that dog in him every single week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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