After falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl 57, the Philadelphia Eagles will look to run it back with a majority of their core pieces returning on both sides of the ball. As it pertains to the offense, the Eagles will once again rely on the likes of wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who made a nice impact in his sophomore campaign in Philadelphia.
2023 Fantasy Football: DeVonta Smith Profile
Recap of 2022 season
Smith had a strong second season with the Eagles in 2022, increasing his receiving yardage to 1,196 while bumping up his touchdowns to seven on the year. He averaged 15.0 PPR fantasy points per game last year and ranked as WR9 with 254.6 fantasy points on the year.
Updated Eagles outlook
The only departure from the receiving room was wide receiver Zach Pascal, who left for the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason. Miles Sanders is arguably the biggest name to have left, but the addition of D’Andre Swift helps fill his shoes in the backfield. Otherwise, there’s no reason to believe that an Eagles offense that ranked top-5 in scoring (28.1 PPG) and top-10 in passing (241.5 YPG) can’t achieve the same level of success in 2022.
Best case scenario
So long as Smith stays healthy and avoids any missed playing time, fantasy managers should be pleased in adding one of Philadelphia’s top wideouts to their roster. The chances of that becoming a reality are high given that the Eagles return an all-around talented unit on offense with Jalen Hurts under center and A.J. Brown commanding attention across from him, setting up Smith for some easy production.
Worst case scenario
Aside from injuries, the only feasible worst-case scenario is that this offense takes a significant step back from its success a season ago. Perhaps with an added season’s worth of tape to dissect, we see opponents scheme up efficient coverages to significantly limit the big yardage plays that the Eagles took advantage of last season.
Prediction
It will be tough to replicate the type of season the Eagles had in 2022, but with the majority of their offense back in the fold, there’s no reason why there would be a significant regression. So long as Hurts and Brown stay healthy, Smith should benefit once more from the added space and log a 1,200+ receiving-yard season with double-digit touchdowns in 2023.