If you own one of the Eagles’ top two wideouts in fantasy football, chances are it’s been a trying season for you. Confidence in this Philly offense is at a season low after its 22-19 disaster loss to the Chargers on Monday Night Football. Now the fantasy playoffs are upon us, and we have to take stock of who we can rely on. In this Week 15 matchup against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, are A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith going to have huge fantasy games? Let’s break it down.
Analysis
It’s been a trying enough year for Smith owners. If you’re an Brown owner, this has been a borderline nightmare. Public shade at play-callers. Constant questioning of his status as an Eagle. Throwing shade on Twitch streams. Brown has been the embodiment of the diva wide receiver this year.
However, things seem to have turned a corner. Brown has drawn 10+ targets in his last four games, with 100+ receiving yards in three of those games, while reeling in three scores. That’s a sharp uptick from his first eight games, where Brown had one 10+ target game and two 100-yard games with three total scores. Perhaps it’s a change in philosophy; perhaps offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo (do not mention that name around Eagles fans) has figured out how to use him. Either way, the results are there, and the Jalen Hurts-Brown connection is rolling once again.
Smith is a different story. Brown’s return to alpha WR1 status has not elevated Smith’s game as the offense continues to struggle. Instead of a rising tide lifting all boats, Brown is simply taking a larger share of a dwindling pie. After clearing 50 receiving yards in six of his first nine games, Smith’s been held under 50 in three of his last four. Smith already has limited touchdown upside due to Philly’s running game and depth of red zone targets; with the yards falling, he looks shakier.
Now the two have a date with a rapidly collapsing Las Vegas Raiders team. Can we count on Brown and Smith to put up big fantasy lines in the first week of the playoffs?
The Verdict
Until we see otherwise, it’s best to treat Brown as the WR1 we know and love. The target share has spiked and the deep ball connection with Hurts looks a lot better. Anything less than 10+ PPR points this week would be a disappointment.
Smith is less of a sure thing. With his lack of touchdown potential and declining target/yardage share, he’s firmly in FLEX territory. Against this Raiders defense, which is 22nd in yards allowed per pass attempt, Smith has upside, but the floor is below FLEX territory. If you invested in Smith already, it’s a risk you’ll have to take.
