Who Should I Start? Michael Woods II or Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Wednesday, July 30, 8:36 PM

Three-year veteran wide receiver Michael Woods II (hand) was ultimately waived from the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday with an injury designation. He suffered a hand injury during last Thursday's practice. After tearing his Achilles in April 2023, Woods II earned a six-game suspension at the end of the 2023 season for a personal misconduct policy he served while on the NFI list. In 2024, Woods II contributed seven catches for 65 yards, despite playing behind a weak wide receiver depth chart that also suffered injuries. It's safe to say that the waiving of Woods II won't impact the Cleveland Browns, as he wasn't very high on the depth chart.

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.