Who Should I Start? Frank Darby or Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Saturday, July 27, 2:50 PM

The 49ers signed free-agent wide receiver Frank Darby on Saturday. He is set to receive a one-year deal. The Falcons selected the 26-year-old using the No. 187 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In 15 games in Atlanta, Darby caught just two of his five targets for 29 yards. He also spent time with the practice squad. If Darby is on the field come Week 1, he'll likely spend most of his time on special teams, making him nearly irrelevant as a fantasy wideout. In a corresponding move, the 49ers waived cornerback Kemon Hall.

Saturday, August 24, 9:36 PM

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette (ankle) left the team's preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills early on Saturday after landing awkwardly completing a catch in the second quarter. The 24-year-old hauled in 2-of-3 targets for 11 yards while contributing 27 yards on two punt returns and a field-flipping 46 yards on his lone kick return. Smith-Marsette was productive before he picked up the injury and is expected to be the team's returner this upcoming season. Barring the severity of his ankle issue, that could still be the case. It's a bit early to tell how impactful the NFL's new kickoff rules will be come the start of the regular season. However, fantasy managers may want to keep the Iowa product on their radar as a sneaky option, depending on how your league values return yards. His Yahoo! ADP is far down enough that he'd be best suited as a prospective waiver-wire add.