Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Joshua Palmer – Who Should I Draft In 2024 Fantasy Football?

The NFL has turned into a pass-happy league. With the use of more three wide receiver sets, many fantasy football leagues have added a third wide receiver spot to their starting lineup.

Fantasy players can land talented pass catchers in the middle rounds of their draft, as the league has never been deeper at the wide receiver position. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Joshua Palmer are two popular mid-round wide receiver draft targets this year.

However, which young wide receiver should fantasy players draft first in 2024 fantasy football leagues? Let’s dive into it.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook

Smith-Njigba was the WR48 as a rookie, averaging seven half-point PPR fantasy points per game. The former Ohio State star had 63 receptions on 93 targets for 628 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season despite playing alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. While he will have to compete with the veteran wide receivers again in 2024, Smith-Njigba could have a sophomore-year breakout under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

JSN! @Seahawks take the lead with 38 seconds left!

📺: #CLEvsSEA on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/ipIASTxywM

— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023

Joshua Palmer 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook

Palmer was the WR64, averaging 8.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. He had 38 receptions on 61 targets for 581 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 10 contests. The veteran receiver averaged 52.5 snaps per contest in 2023, with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen missing 18 combined games. With Allen and Williams playing elsewhere this season, Palmer is the early favorite to be Justin Herbert’s No. 1 wide receiver. More importantly, the veteran has had an impressive start to training camp.

one-hander??? more like one-palmer pic.twitter.com/3smoLoLUNa

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 1, 2023

Who Should I Draft?

Fantasy players should target both pass catchers as their WR4 in a standard-size 12-team league. Yet, Smith-Njigba has more upside than Palmer despite having more target competition. The second-year player should have a larger role than in 2023, with Lockett showing signs of decline last season. Meanwhile, Palmer might be the Los Angeles Chargers’ No. 1 wide receiver this year. However, the Chargers will be a run-heavy offense, limiting Palmer’s upside.

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