Who Should I Start? Kyle Philips or Ainias Smith

Tuesday, February 18, 8:54 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders signed free-agent wide receiver Kyle Philips to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Philips, a former fifth-round selection by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 out of UCLA will head to the AFC West after spending all of the 2024 campaign on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2022 and 2023, he caught only 23 of 35 targets for 259 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games played (no starts). The 25-year-old pass-catcher also saw time on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner, which will probably be his best path to a roster spot with the Raiders. Philips will be reuniting with his old head coach at UCLA in Chip Kelly, who is now the Raiders' offensive coordinator under new head coach Pete Carroll. Philips's familiarity with Kelly won't guarantee him a roster spot out of training camp, though.

Sunday, January 26, 1:51 PM

According to the team, Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver Ainias Smith is inactive for Sunday's NFC title game against the Washington Commanders. The rookie wideout will be a healthy scratch. The Texas A&M product was also inactive during the first two games of the playoffs. Throughout the regular season, Smith saw a limited role as he caught just three passes through the first 17 weeks. However, in Week 18, Smith caught all four of his targets for 35 yards and a score. Fantasy managers should expect A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson to operate as the top wideouts in the Philadelphia offense in this contest.