Fantasy Football Stock Up/Stock Down: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is Earning League-Winning Usage

There's a lot that goes into trying to stay one step ahead of your leaguemates in fantasy football. Among the things you have to pay close attention to, it's crucial to keep an eye on new trends, usage, and roles for players in order to make optimal decisions when setting your lineups.

Each week is a different beast, and as the regular season progresses, we'll gather more valuable information to utilize.

While we don't want to overreact to everything that happens early in the season, which players saw their stock go up or down following the action in Week 2?

Note: All stats come from Next Gen Stats or Pro Football Focus unless stated otherwise.

Fantasy Football Stock Up/Stock Down Entering Week 3

Fantasy Football Stock Up

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts

During the Indianapolis Colts' blowout win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, we didn't get a full view of what Jonathan Taylor is capable of in a Daniel Jones-led offense, as he didn't play much in the second half. However, in Indy's Week 2 come-from-behind victory against a formidable Denver Broncos defense, Taylor proved that he's still one of the premier running backs in the NFL.

Along with Jones still performing well under center, Taylor logged a 92.5% snap rate, 60.5% route rate, and 50.0% red-zone rushing share while totaling 215 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 27 touches. Meanwhile, rookie DJ Giddens was the only other running back to see the field for the Colts in Week 2, and he was limited to a 7.5% snap rate and zero touches.

While Taylor could have some of his goal-line carries stolen by Jones, his volume and lack of competition for touches still makes him an elite option in all fantasy football formats.

Javonte Williams, RB, Cowboys

After turning an 80.4% snap rate and 17 touches into 64 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 1, Javonte Williams gashed the New York Giants for 130 scrimmage yards and another score on a 71.1% snap rate and 24 touches in Week 2. Despite Williams ceding two red-zone carries to Miles Sanders -- which resulted in Sanders also finding the end zone -- it's clear that Williams is the Dallas Cowboys' featured back for the time being.

It's been more than just volume for Williams, as the former second-round pick has the eighth-most rushing yards over expected per attempt (0.93) and a solid 45.5% rushing success rate across the first two weeks. Additionally, rookie fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue has been a healthy scratch in back-to-back games to begin the season, so Sanders remains the only competition for touches right now.

Even though it remains to be seen if Williams can maintain this level of play for an entire year, being the preferred starting back in an effective Cowboys offense is valuable in fantasy.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers

We got the full Arthur Smith experience in Week 1 when Kenneth Gainwell led the Pittsburgh Steelers' running backs in snap rate (51.9%) and route rate (44.1%) in the team's win over the New York Jets. But in Week 2, Jaylen Warren paced the backfield in snap rate (57.6%) while looking explosive with 134 scrimmage yards on 18 touches despite losing to the Seattle Seahawks.

Over the first two weeks, Warren has earned seven of the eight red-zone attempts for the Steelers, and he's been the best back in the offense with a formidable 44.0% rushing success rate. Considering that Aaron Rodgers is a quarterback who doesn't shy away from targeting his backs in the passing game and isn't a threat to run, Warren holds a valuable role in fantasy moving forward.

Given how Warren looked against a talented Seattle defense in Week 2, I'd expect him to begin separating himself even further as the top back in Pittsburgh's offense in the coming weeks.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks

Entering the 2025 campaign, everyone was curious to see what Jaxon Smith-Njigba's role would look like upon the Seahawks signing Sam Darnold, and it's safe to say he has league-winning potential if his current usage holds steady the rest of the way. Across the first two weeks, JSN is leading Seattle's passing attack in route rate (86.7%), target share (44.2%), air yards share (57.5%), and yards per route run (4.37).

Even though the Seahawks want to have a run-first identity on offense under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Smith-Njigba is the only pass catcher we can fully trust in fantasy right now. And while JSN has yet to find the end zone, his elite usage suggests it's only a matter of time before he's celebrating his first touchdown of the season.

Despite not having a touchdown to his name yet this season, Smith-Njigba is currently the WR10 in half-PPR formats.

Rome Odunze, WR, Bears

The Chicago Bears entered the current season with a handful of pass catchers they had to get the ball to, which was going to make it difficult to predict who to start in fantasy football from their offense each week. However, it appears second-year wideout Rome Odunze is the lone receiver from the Bears who has a consistent role in the aerial attack and has built solid chemistry with quarterback Caleb Williams.

Following a Week 1 performance where he led Chicago's skill players in snap rate (93.7%), route rate (79.1%), and target share (26.5%), Odunze exploded for 128 receiving yards and 2 scores in Week 2 on a 100.0% snap rate, 90.2% route rate, 33.3% target share, and 62.3% air yards share. As a result, Odunze is now the WR4 in half-PPR leagues.

Besides D.J. Moore being someone I'm keeping an eye on as a potential trade candidate, I also expect Chicago's offense to improve throughout the season under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Packers

At a position that can be unpredictable outside of the elite options, Tucker Kraft is creeping into TE1 territory early in the new season. Amid injuries and a Green Bay Packers offense that does want to sling the pigskin around a bit more with a healthy Jordan Love under center, Kraft excelled in Week 2, registering 124 receiving yards and a touchdown on team-highs in snap rate (90.5%), route rate (76.5%), and target share (25.9%).

With Kraft producing a 90.9% snap rate, 71.9% route rate, and 22.4% target share with 2 touchdowns through the first two weeks, he's currently holding the TE1 spot in half-PPR formats. In comparison, backup tight end Luke Musgrave has just a 33.6% snap rate, 19.3% route rate, and 6.1% target share.

Being that the Packers continue to rotate their receivers, Kraft is emerging as Love's go-to option in the passing game,

Fantasy Football Stock Down

Kyren Williams, RB, Rams

Kyren Williams has been a productive back in fantasy football in recent seasons due to being in a workhorse role in a Sean McVay offense. What Williams lacks in efficiency, he's made up for with elite usage and volume, but it appears his workload could take a hit moving forward.

In the Los Angeles Rams' Week 2 win against the Tennessee Titans, Williams saw his snap rate drop to 69.5% and saw three of the six red-zone rushing attempts for the Rams. On the other hand, second-year back Blake Corum logged a 30.5% snap rate and got the other three red-zone carries, and he was the lone back from LA to find the end zone in Week 2.

After Sunday's victory, McVay stated that the workload split between Williams and Corum in Week 2 is "much more in alignment" with what he wants the backfield usage to look like moving forward, so Williams' days as the only back to get meaningful touches for the Rams could be numbered.

James Conner, RB, Cardinals

I was willing to chalk up the closer split between James Conner and Trey Benson in Week 1 to weird usage for the Arizona Cardinals to begin the year. However, it was more of the same in Week 2, which should increase the concern level for those who roster Conner in fantasy football.

During Arizona's win in a favorable matchup versus the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, Conner totaled only 52 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on just a 52.1% snap rate, 31.0% route rate, and 12 touches. Comparatively, Benson tallied 44 scrimmage yards on a 45.8% snap rate, 48.3% route rate, and 7 touches.

While Conner has contributed a touchdown in each of his first two games, he's been inefficient with -0.53 rushing yards over expected per attempt (compared to Benson's league-leading 3.40 rushing yards over expected per attempt), and he continues to cede more snaps to Benson.

Kaleb Johnson, RB, Steelers

Coming into the season, I expected rookie Kaleb Johnson to see limited playing time early in the season for the Steelers and then earn more snaps later in the year once he became more comfortable in the offense. Johnson got just two snaps and one touch in Week 1, and he recorded the same usage in Week 2 in Pittsburgh's defeat to Seattle.

To make matters worse, Johnson made a mistake on a kick return in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks, failing to realize the football was live after he was unable to catch the kickoff, allowing Seattle to recover the ball for a touchdown. Those types of costly errors are surefire ways for rookies to earn less playing time and be trusted less in crucial moments of a game.

Along with Warren looking explosive as the primary back in Week 2, Johnson's game-changing mistake on special teams could make it even tougher for him to have a fantasy-relevant role anytime soon.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, Giants

Despite Tyrone Tracy Jr. being limited to 35 scrimmage yards in Week 1, his workload was decent, earning a 72.6% snap rate, 55.6% route rate, and 12 of the 19 running back touches for the Giants. In Sunday's high-scoring overtime affair versus the Cowboys, Tracy saw his usage flip upside down due to rookie Cam Skattebo getting more playing time.

Aside from Tracy's snap rate dropping to 41.5% and his route rate falling to 37.8%, Skattebo led the backfield in snap rate (50.8%), route rate (40.0%), and got all five of the red-zone carries by New York's backs while he found the end zone. Skattebo's physicality could be what head coach Brian Daboll prefers in the offense moving forward.

Even though I believe Tracy has potential at the running back position, Skattebo's increased role in Week 2 makes Tracy someone we can't trust in our fantasy football lineups -- unless something changes.

D'Andre Swift, RB, Bears

The intrigue surrounding D'Andre Swift in fantasy football was entirely predicated on him getting plenty of volume in Chicago's backfield. After Swift did lead the Bears' backs in snap rate (81.0%), route rate (55.8%), and touches (20) by a wide margin in Week 1, rookie Kyle Monangai cut into his workload a decent bit in Week 2.

In addition to Swift seeing his snap rate (56.3%) and route rate (34.1%) decline against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Monangai notched a 42.2% snap rate and 34.1% route rate. While the Bears found themselves trailing by a lot of points versus the Lions, Swift fumbled the ball in the loss, and he has just a 27.6% rushing success rate through the first two weeks.

Despite Swift being the de facto starter for the Bears -- at least for the time being -- his value in fantasy will continue to take a massive hit if he isn't dominating the usage in Chicago's backfield moving forward.

A.J. Brown/DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles

Individually, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are talented wideouts who would be producing stellar numbers each season if they were in an offense that threw the ball at a league-average rate. However, both Brown and Smith play in a run-heavy Philadelphia Eagles offense, and Philly's aerial attack -- and offense as a whole -- has looked lackluster to begin the new campaign.

Besides Jalen Hurts being tied for the third-fewest completed air yards per attempt (4.0) and second-fewest intended air yards per attempt (5.6), the Eagles are averaging the second-fewest passing yards per game (119.0) over the first two weeks, with the Tennessee Titans being the only team that has fewer. As a result of Hurt's struggles under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, Smith is currently the WR62 and Brown is WR85 (!!!) in half-PPR leagues.

Brown was selected as a WR1 while Smith was taken as a WR2 in fantasy football, but until Hurts and the passing game show improvement, both receivers on the Eagles are risky options in fantasy football.

Matthew Golden, WR, Packers

As mentioned above, the Packers are still choosing to have a rotation at the receiver position, as six different wideouts have gotten snaps over the first two weeks. An injury to Jayden Reed could lead to snaps being a bit tighter for the current receivers, but rookie Matthew Golden has yet to see positive usage in the offense.

After seeing just a 46.8% snap rate, 56.5% route rate, and 9.1% target share in Week 1, Golden had just a 58.7% snap rate, 64.7% route rate, and 7.4% target share in Week 2 despite Reed leaving early with a shoulder injury. While Golden had two near-touchdowns against the Washington Commanders in Week 2, he's not getting enough playing time or volume to warrant him being a weekly starter in fantasy yet.

Although Golden's stock is down right now, he still has the talent to be a league-winner, but that will require Matt LaFleur and the Packers going away from deploying a constant rotation of receivers sooner rather than later.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.