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.

Wednesday, January 7, 12:55 PM

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk's (shoulder) rehab has gone well and that he's fitting in with the group well, according to Erin Summers of NFL Network. Head coach Kellen Moore said that Polk will "be able to fill a very beneficial role here." The Saints acquired Polk and a seventh-round draft pick in 2028 from the New England Patriots back in September in exchange for a sixth-rounder in 2027. The 23-year-old former second-rounder missed all of the 2025 season due to a shoulder injury. Polk struggled in his rookie campaign in 2024, catching 12 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns on 33 targets. He'll have another opportunity to make noise in 2026 behind Chris Olave, making him one to watch in training camp and the preseason in deeper fantasy leagues.