Who Should I Start? James Conner or DeVonta Smith
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4 | 10.9 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 6.5 | 0.0 |
James Conner News
Sunday, August 30, 3:52 PM
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (foot) has been placed on injured reserve, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. Conner has been designated to return later in the season, which means he can rejoin the 53-man roster as early as Week 5. Conner was the overall RB11 with nine touchdowns in 2024, and he had 133 scrimmage yards through three games last year before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Presumably, when Conner returns from IR, he'll find himself in a significantly smaller role than last year now that the team has added Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier to the backfield. Conner's NFL experience is useful, but it's probably not enough to get him onto the fantasy radar once he returns. He can be avoided in all redraft leagues, and he should be dropped to waivers in shallower dynasty formats.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 63.7 | 0.4 |
DeVonta Smith News
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.
James Conner vs. DeVonta Smith
Still trying to decide between Conner and Smith? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that James Conner is projected to score 3.4 points this week while DeVonta Smith is projected to score 13.4 points.
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