Jaxon Smith-Ngigba Leads Week 18 Wide Receiver Projections, Updated Rankings

Week 18 fantasy football wide receiver projections spotlight Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the top-ranked option, with updated PPR rankings and matchup-driven outlooks for the season finale.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) celebrates after a touchdown catch against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Fantasy championships were won over the past three weeks by rostering some combination of four players that averaged over 20.00 fantasy points in PPR formats. Puka Nacua was sniped from fantasy points in Week 17 due to penalties and a close no-catch late in the game. Over the past three weeks, he caught 26 of his 37 targets for 453 yards and three touchdowns with two rushes for eight yards, leading to him being the top fantasy wideout.

• Puka Nacua (90.10)
• Chris Olave (83.20)
• Ja’Marr Chase (68.10)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (65.60)
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (58.10)

No wide receiver scored over 30.00 fantasy points in PPR formats in Week 17. Luther Burden earned the top seed by catching eight of his nine targets for 138 yards and one touchdown. Only six wide receivers scored over 20.00 fantasy points.

• Chris Olave (25.90)
• Ja’Marr Chase (25.00)
• Chris Godwin (23.80)
• Wan’Dale Robinson (22.30)
• Christian Watson (22.30)
• Stefon Diggs (22.10)

Best Wide Receivers in 2025

Here are the top 12 wide receivers in scoring average in PPR leagues after 17 weeks:

• Puka Nacua (23.33 – 15 games)
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (21.66)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (18.69)
• Ja’Marr Chase (18.21)
• George Pickens (18.13)
• Chris Olave (16.83)
• Drake London (16.82 – 11 games)
• CeeDee Lamb (16.63 – 12 games)
• Davante Adams (15.92 – 14 game)
• Nico Collins (15.14 – 15 games)
• A.J. Brown (14.69 – 15 games)
• Courtland Sutton (13.64)

Week 17 Wide Receiver Bust

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) reacts during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

The excitement for Waddle in Week 17 was dashed quickly after leaving the game with a rib injury. The Dolphins only had him on the field for 14 plays, leading to no catches on one target with seven rushing yards.

Runner Up: I’m giving the Week 17 runner-up bust award to Xavier Worthy (no catches on three targets with three rushing yards), more so for his no-show in 2025. After teasing in Week 4 (5/38 with two rushes for 38 yards), he has been a worthless fantasy investment at nearly every turn. 

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Each week, I’ll release my depth charts and projections on Wednesday, with a neutral eye informed by hints from previous results or in-season injuries. These statistics represent baseline outlooks, with their potential already factored in. Touchdowns create impact scores and winning fantasy days, especially in non-PPR formats. Who scores them each week is the Holy Grail that the fantasy market searches for weekly.

My projections will be ranked in a way that won’t resemble the weekly consensus. My man, Matt Brandon, is in charge of finding a balance between my player outlooks and the public view of each week's rankings.

Week 18 Wide Receiver Projections Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 18 top 12 wide receiver projections:

Shawn Childs

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks can’t beat the 49ers this week without Smith-Njigba posting a big game. He was active again in Week 17 (9/72 on 12 targets), but the Panthers kept him out of the endzone while holding Smith-Njigba to short yards per catch (8.0). He has seven catches or more in 12 matchups, with a floor of 90 combined yards in 14 starts. In Week 1, Smith-Njigba had nine catches for 124 yards on 13 targets vs. the 49ers, which was almost the same as his output in his 2024 game (10/118) in San Francisco.

Shawn Childs

The 49ers rank 21st in wide receiver defense (526.90 fantasy points). They’ve been drilled in five games this year by wideouts.

• LAR (19/278/1)
• TB (9/184/2)
• HOU (21/224/2)
• ARI (24/271/1)
• IND (13/183/2)

Despite their wide receiver failures, only three players have gained over 100 yards.

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9/124)
• Michael Wilson (15/185)
• Luther Burden (8/138/1)

Sam Darnold is one of the better quarterbacks in the league in the deep passing game (8.5 yards per pass attempt), thanks to Smith-Njigba (15.1 yards per catch with 10 touchdowns). I have him projected to eight passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in this matchup, giving him the top wide receiver ranking in Week 18.

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Click HERE to view our full Week 18 Wide Receiver Projections & Rankings!