Jordan Addison or Jaxon Smith Njigba? Who should I start in fantasy football 2023?

Jordan Addison and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were two of the top wide receivers off the board on NFL Draft night, both landing in the latter half of the first round. Now, they're both pretty solid fantasy options. The question is, which rookie wideout is the better option at this point? Here's what to look at.

Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings

Also read: What is D.J. Chark's Week 1 status?

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Jordan Addison's Fantasy Outlook in 2023

Jordan Addison was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round and instantly became the number two wideout. He was never going to take Justin Jefferson's spot, but he will fit in nicely behind him.

The wide receiver will have to contend with TJ Hockenson as a secondary target. On any given Sunday, the tight end could see more volume than Addison, though the Vikings' gameplan should generally see Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson in that order.

Furthermore, having Jefferson in the offense helps Addison's fantasy outlook improve. No matter who the second wide receiver is, Jefferson will draw double teams more often than not. That leaves the former USC product with solo coverage, which is great for fantasy.

He's a reliable target who can get open and catch the ball. Kirk Cousins isn't a top tier quarterback, but Addison should see volume similarly to Adam Thielen who is now with the Carolina Panthers. That's a pretty good expectation for him.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba's Fantasy Outlook in 2023

Jaxon Smith-Njibga was many draft analysts prospect for the top wide receiver, so the Seattle Seahawks were likely thrilled that he fell to their second first-round pick. Ultimately, it makes the Seattle offense a lot better but it's not an ideal situation for the wide receiver's fantasy prospects.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba will play

He does play with a pretty good quarterback in Geno Smith who will get him the ball. The only problem is that he's the third option on offense. Smith-Njigba comes in behind both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on the depth chart.

Also read: Is Mike Evans worth looking at in fantasy?

That doesn't mean that the former Ohio State wideout can't or won't produce, because he will. He just probably will not produce more than the other two on an average week.

He's worth a later round pick, and head coach Pete Carroll says the wide receiver's wrist injury is not going to keep him out. He's expected to play Week 1, but he's still going to be lower on the depth chart. For the NFL, that's fine. For fantasy football, it's not a perfect situation.

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Who should you start?

If it comes down to the choice of these two rookie pass-catchers, you should probably go with Jordan Addison. His floor is likely a bit higher than Jaxon Smith-Njigba's.

Also read: Should you take Patrick Mahomes in fantasy?

This almost solely comes down to the place on the depth chart. By nature, Addison will get more targets, and that usually translates to more points. Being the WR2 is better than being the WR3.

Going further, these offenses are similar. They both like to pass but have good running games, so the gameplan likely won't be more pass-happy for either one in general.

Smith-Njigba does have a better quarterback throwing to him, which does boost his fantasy outlook, but only marginally. The difference in depth chart spots is too wide to ignore here, so you should probably go with Jordan Addison.