Who Should I Start? DeVonta Smith or Nico Collins

Tuesday, September 2, 5:01 PM

Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (groin) was not listed on Philadelphia's Tuesday injury report and will likely be set to play Week 1. Smith is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he accumulated 68 catches for 833 yards and eight touchdowns in just 13 games, once again cementing himself as one of the top number-two receivers in the league. Philly opens the season against the Cowboys, a familiar matchup for Smith as he enters his fifth season in the NFC East. He was boom-or-bust against Dallas last year, tallying just 14 yards in his first face-off then following that up with 120 yards and two touchdowns in their second meeting. With an offense as explosive as Philly's, Smith is always in the running for a good amount of looks going his way. He's a high-end WR2 going into Thursday.

Friday, September 5, 10:42 PM

Houston Texans Wide Receiver Nico Collins is usually a target magnet, and he could be even busier than usual in Week 1 since the Texans won't have offseason additions Christian Kirk (hamstring) or Braxton Berrios (hamstring) in addition to Tank Dell (knee), who is expected to miss most or all of the season. The rest of the Texans' targets are inexperienced, with rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel possibly getting a chance to step up, along with third-year receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who has just 20 regular-season catches. Collins is coming off his second straight 1,000-yard season despite being limited to only 12 games. He had seven regular-season touchdowns and was a top-10 receiver in fantasy points per game for the second straight year. Without many other proven options, C.J. Stroud could look his way early and often against the Rams. He'll be the focus of the passing game but will also get plenty of attention from the defense, leaving him as a strong starting option in all formats as the No. 9 WR in the RotoBaller rankings.