Who Should I Start? DeVonta Smith or Brian Thomas Jr.

Friday, December 26, 11:19 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (illness) does not carry an injury designation heading into the weekend. Smith snapped a five game scoreless streak last week against the Commanders, with his six receptions also being his most in an outing since Week 12. While the touchdown helped out his final stat line, the Philly wideout has still finished a game with more than 50 receiving yards just once in his last six performances. This Sunday, he'll line up against a tough Buffalo defense that has given up just 17 passing touchdowns this season-tied for fourth-fewest in the league. Smith does get a decent amount of looks though, averaging 7.4 targets per game in the last five weeks. Scoring in back-to-back weeks seems unlikely, so managers have to bank on Smith returning to mid-season form and upping his overall production. Consider him a low-end WR3/FLEX with an unfavorable matchup in Week 17.

Monday, January 5, 10:46 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a disappointing year relative to preseason expectations in 2025, recording 48 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns on 91 targets across 14 games played. Down the stretch of the regular season, Thomas Jr. appeared to slide down the pass-catcher pecking order in Jacksonville. The 23-year-old recorded just nine catches for 106 yards and zero touchdowns on 15 targets over his final three contests. Thomas Jr. also played fewer than 80% of Jacksonville's offensive snaps in five out of his team's six final games. The Jaguars are now set to face the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs. In the regular season, Buffalo allowed the fewest passing yards (2,894) of any defense in the NFL. Fantasy managers in playoff leagues may find Thomas Jr. tough to trust given his difficult matchup and diminished role in Jacksonville.