DeVonta Smith
With A.J. Brown out of the picture in Philadelphia, Smith moves into the lead role in a suddenly thinner Eagles receiving corps. His track record shows a real per-game scoring bump in games Brown has missed or been limited, and hosts see that workload shift as sustainable now rather than situational. A minor hamstring issue has cropped up in camp, but the outlook remains centered on target-share growth, not health concerns.
The two-week arc is a steady build of optimism tied almost entirely to A.J. Brown's absence: FantasyPros, Fantasy Football Today, and the Yahoo show all point to Smith's spiked target share and per-game production in Brown-less stretches as the case for a breakout year. FantasyPros' Alfredo goes furthest, projecting a touchdown and target jump akin to a JSN-style leap and ranking him ahead of his ADP, while Fantasy Football Today slots him above Zay Flowers and in a tier with Nico Collins and Chris Olave. The Fantasy Footballers strike a more cautious note, flagging a crowded, lower-volume Eagles passing game and a practice injury as reasons for pause, even as they still call him an overlooked alpha-caliber WR1. There's no real bear case here—just disagreement on how big the ceiling is.
The line: Buy Smith as a target-hog WR1 in Brown's absence, but track the hamstring before locking in an early draft slot.
▲ Yahoo Fantasy Football with Josh & Hayden: Ranked 18th-25th overall; hosts cite huge target-share spikes when A.J. Brown has missed time and an improving Eagles run game/O-line as reasons for optimism. listen ↗
▲ Fantasy Football Today: Jamey ranks him in his top 12 WRs, ahead of George Pickens, citing strong per-game production when A.J. Brown has missed games and Jalen Hurts leaning on him. listen ↗
▲ Dynasty Nerds Podcast | Dynasty Fantasy Football: Called a generational WR prospect and the unanimous 1.01; hosts say bad teams should be tanking for him. listen ↗
▶ Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast: Also sidelined at practice; part of a crowded, low-volume Eagles passing attack now without A.J. Brown. listen ↗
▲ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Alfredo projects a big target and touchdown increase now that AJ Brown is gone, comparing it to a JSN-style breakout, ranking him WR10 vs WR12 ADP. listen ↗
▲ Fantasy Football Today: Preferred over Zay Flowers as a WR1; grouped in a tier with Nico Collins and Chris Olave, with target share upside now that A.J. Brown's presence changes the target distribution. listen ↗
▶ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Ranked at the top of the crowded WR13-20 tier (WR12), but a hamstring injury gives some pause. listen ↗
▲ Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast: Ranked WR18, seen as undervalued relative to ADP (WR17/12-13 in best ball); hosts call him a true alpha-caliber WR1 talent being overlooked. listen ↗
▲ Fantasy Football Today: Ranked as the top receiver of the Olave/Nabors/Smith trio; averaged 17.1 PPR points/game in 17 games since 2022 when AJ Brown played and Goedert was out/hurt. listen ↗
▲ FantasyPros Football Podcast: Both hosts rank him as a top-2 dynasty receiver prospect, comparing him favorably to Jamar Chase and Calvin Johnson-tier prospects rather than Marvin Harrison Jr. listen ↗
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