Who Should I Start? DeVonta Smith or Quentin Johnston

Friday, December 5, 10:18 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith failed to impress last week against the Bears, finishing with a mediocre five catches for 48 yards on eight targets. He and A.J. Brown both racked up a hefty majority of looks from Jalen Hurts, but while Brown turned those into a dominant showing, Smith fell behind on the stat sheet. Another problem is that Smith has now matched his longest scoreless streak of the season, going three straight games without finding the end zone. In Week 14 he's up against a Chargers defense allowing just 168.3 passing yards per game-good for second-best in the league. Philly already totes a lackluster passing game-averaging 196.3 yards per game-so there may not be enough to go around for Smith and Brown, not to mention the other weapons on the Eagles offense. It's a scary week to rely on him, so Smith should hover around a low-end WR2/FLEX spot versus Los Angeles.

Saturday, December 6, 4:30 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston is coming off a three-reception, 23-yard, one-touchdown game against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, the passing attack still heavily depended on quick, short passes to compensate for issues along the offensive line. Johnston will face a tough matchup against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who ranks 10th in allowing the fewest fantasy points per route. Additionally, the Eagles' pass defense ranks 24th in fantasy points allowed per dropback when in zone coverage. Johnston has struggled against zone, with a 14% target rate and 1.16 yards per route run. He is officially off the injury report after dealing with a shoulder injury, but the tough matchup, combined with the expected run-heavy game and uncertainty at quarterback, suggests he will continue to be a boom-or-bust low-end WR3, heavily reliant on scoring a touchdown.