Who Should I Start? Tank Dell or Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Monday, December 29, 3:57 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) is "making outstanding progress, working extremely hard, and preparing for next season," league sources told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. Dell tore his ACL, MCL, and LCL in Week 16 last year against the Kansas City Chiefs. There was never a realistic chance that he'd play for Houston in 2025, but if he continues to make progress and avoid setbacks in his rehab, the 26-year-old wideout could be back on the field next year. Dell required multiple surgeries for his knee injury, which initially looked like it might have been career-threatening. He still has a ways to go, though, and it's possible Dell won't ever be the same player he was before the injury. For fantasy purposes, we'll have a clearer picture of whether Dell might be a key contributor to the Texans' offense once training camp begins next summer.

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.