Who Should I Start? DeAndre Hopkins or DeVonta Smith

Friday, July 25, 3:38 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (undisclosed) was back in action on Friday after missing the team's Thursday practice with an undisclosed ailment, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said previously that Hopkins was held out as a precaution, and that appears to be the truth. The 33-year-old Hopkins is likely someone who Baltimore will be judicious with in terms of practice workload anyway, so a single-day absence early in camp shouldn't be considered highly worrisome. Hopkins recorded 56 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games split between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. He's more of a supporting piece at this point in his career, but he'll be in the mix with Rashod Bateman as a secondary target option at receiver for Baltimore behind Zay Flowers. The Ravens also have talented tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, so Hopkins could be looking at an even further reduced workload from what he saw last season.

Monday, August 4, 9:06 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith is standing out in camp and looking like a "bounce-back" candidate heading into the new season, Zach Berman of PHLY observes. Smith missed four games a season ago, but his fourth year in the NFL was still yet another productive campaign. He hauled in a career-high eight touchdowns while amassing 833 yards on 68 catches (89 targets). Smith's yardage total was the lowest of his career, but he likely would've gone over the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season had he been healthier. Although Smith is behind A.J. Brown in Philly's receiver pecking order, he's good enough to enter 2025 as RotoBaller's 25th-ranked WR.