Who Should I Start? DeVonta Smith or Rome Odunze


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.1 0.1 0.0 5.4 72.4 0.4

DeVonta Smith News

DeVonta Smith Primed for Breakout as Undisputed No. 1

Thursday, September 3, 7:30 PM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith could be headed for a breakout season in 2026. The 27-year-old is poised to handle a significantly larger target share after teammate AJ Brown was traded to the New England Patriots. Smith had a total of nine catches and 136 yards across the two games that Brown missed last year, which likely represents his floor for the upcoming season. He is the undisputed No. 1 target in Philadelphia, offering a high-upside weapon for Jalen Hurts in all parts of the field. Perhaps the biggest question mark is whether Smith will take on a larger role around the goal line. He tallied a career-low four touchdowns last year, but he'll presumably get more goal-line targets following the departure of Brown, who scored seven touchdowns in 2025. As it stands, Smith has jumped to WR13 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings for 2026. He has an ADP of 31.4, which corresponds to the third round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 14th receiver off the board.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
11.7 0.4 0.0 3.5 54.7 0.4

Rome Odunze News

Rome Odunze Officially Active for Week 1

Sunday, September 13, 7:44 AM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (calf) is officially active for the team's Week 1 season opener on Sunday versus the Carolina Panthers, according to the team. Odunze was limited in practice all week due to a knee injury that surfaced in early September, but he did enough on the field to gain clearance to play in the season opener this weekend. There have not been any reports floating around that the 24-year-old former first-rounder will not have his typical number of offensive snaps for the Bears on Sunday, so fantasy managers should keep him in their starting lineups to kick off the year. Odunze only played in 12 regular-season games a year ago due to a foot injury that is believed to be behind him, but durability issues have been a bit of a concern. He caught 44 of 90 targets last year for 661 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in his second season in the NFL. With DJ Moore now in Buffalo, Odunze and Luther Burden III will operate as Chicago's top two wideouts in 2026. At the very least, Odunze should be a solid WR3/flex option for fantasy managers in Week 1.


DeVonta Smith vs. Rome Odunze

Still trying to decide between Smith and Odunze? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that DeVonta Smith is projected to score 15.1 points this week while Rome Odunze is projected to score 11.7 points.