Jaxon Smith-Njigba or James Cook III: who should I start in Week 6?

The market-based projections

Jaxon Smith-Njigba's market-based projection is 19.5 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 8th highest figure of the 157 players with a market-based projection.

James Cook III's market-based projection is 17.0 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 22nd highest figure of the 157 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on Jaxon Smith-Njigba: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 11th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 8.

Drafters have formed no consensus on James Cook III: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 10th overall on the rest of his evidence.

By format he goes standard: ADP 2; 2QB: ADP 10.

This season through Week 5

Through Week 5, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been on the field for 83 percent of SEA snaps, drawn 35 percent of the targets and had 21 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 18 of the offence's 41 third down targets, had 2 of its 16 chances inside the five and seen 9 of its 20 two minute targets.

His 50 targets have averaged 10.3 air yards.

In Week 3 against WAS he caught 10 of 14 targets for 128 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

In Week 4 against LAC he caught 5 of 6 targets for 76 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against SF he carried 1 time for 16 yards, caught 5 of 8 targets for 102 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Through Week 5, James Cook III has been on the field for 67 percent of BUF snaps, taken 67 percent of the carries, drawn 8 percent of the targets and had 40 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 0 of the offence's 35 third down targets, had 7 of its 18 chances inside the five and seen 1 of its 24 two minute targets.

His 11 targets have come 1 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.

In Week 3 against LAC he carried 24 times for 154 yards, caught 0 of 1 target for 0 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 4 against NE he carried 12 times for 75 yards, caught 2 of 2 targets for 8 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 5 against LAR he carried 25 times for 111 yards, caught 1 of 1 target for 7 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Jaxon Smith-Njigba played 17 games and scored 359.9 PPR points, 21.2 a game, finishing WR2.

He caught 119 of 163 targets for 1793 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 17 red zone targets.

That came to 9.6 targets a game, a 73 percent catch rate and 15.1 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 78 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 James Cook III played 17 games and scored 302.2 PPR points, 17.8 a game, finishing RB6.

He carried 309 times for 1621 yards and 12 touchdowns, and caught 33 of 40 targets for 291 more yards.

That came to 18.2 carries a game at 5.2 yards a carry and 1.9 catches a game.

He was on the field for 60 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Both were available for 17 games that season.

Side by side

In 2025 Jaxon Smith-Njigba scored 21.2 PPR points a game and James Cook III 17.8, 3.4 a game between them.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished WR2 and James Cook III RB6, which are two different ladders.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a wide receiver and James Cook III a running back, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is off in Week 11 and James Cook III in Week 7, so either can cover the other's bye.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is listed as questionable on the injury report.

What would change the answer

2.6 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when the consensus sample holds these two again it can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the sample rather than the market-based projection when it does.