Wrist Fracture Likely to Keep Jaxon Smith-Njigba Out of Week 1

Seattle will likely be without rookie wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba Week 1 because of a left wrist fracture he suffered during Saturday’s preseason Week 2 contest against the Cowboys.

By video, the Ohio State product likely suffered a scaphoid fracture when fell hard on his left wrist while being tackled at the goal line, according to the Pro Football Docs.

The injury requires surgery because it is an area that notoriously heals slowly because of limited blood flow.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - SIC score 24

While early reports indicated he has a chance to return for the start of the season, the Pro Football Docs believe it is much more likely he misses the first few games.

If he were a defensive player, it would be possible for him to return for Week 1 with a splint, but that is not common practice with wide receivers who need full range of motion in their hands and wrists, according to the Pro Football Docs.

Seattle has a bye Week 5, meaning the team has an interesting IR choice to make with Smith-Njigba.

There's a chance he misses the first four weeks of the season and comes back after the team's Week 5 bye.

Fantasy Outlook

His SIC score for the season is 68, while his SIC score for Week 1 is 24 – indicating he is unlikely to play in the regular season opener against the Rams.

FantasyPros has Smith-Njigba ranked as the WR38 in half-point PPR, next to players like Jordan Addison, George Pickens and Brandin Cooks.

However, this injury should make fantasy players cautious when deciding between him and other options at that point in the draft.

It is not a guarantee he plays in the first four weeks of the season. His absence means more targets for D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, as the Seahawks are currently thin at wide receiver.

WR4 Dee Eskridge is suspended for the first six games of the season, leaving the WR3 opportunities up to Dareke Young or Jake Bobo.

For more on the Seahawks' injury issues heading into the season, here's how to access our preseason injury report.

How to Access The Preseason Injury Report

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• If you only want access to the live report for a week you can cancel the subscription at anytime.

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