Who Should I Start? Ihmir Smith-Marsette or Ja'Lynn Polk

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.

Saturday, September 13, 12:44 PM

The New Orleans Saints are acquiring wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder) and a 2028 seventh-round pick from the New England Patriots for a 2027 sixth-round pick, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Polk is currently on season-ending Injured Reserve due to a shoulder issue, so this is a future-focused move for New Orleans. A second-round pick in 2024, Polk recorded just 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games for New England as a rookie. He'll now get a chance at a fresh start with the Saints.