Who Should I Start? Tyler Scott or Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Sunday, September 8, 11:38 AM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson and wide receiver Tyler Scott are both healthy scratches for Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans. This news offers some insight into the Bears' offensive pecking order this year, with Johnson's absence being particularly interesting. He was a fourth-round pick in 2023 and made a solid impression as a rookie last year, but the Bears will opt for Travis Homer as their third-string running back behind starter D'Andre Swift and backup Khalil Herbert. Scott's absence is less of a surprise but still noteworthy considering he played 17 games in 2023 and is coming off a solid preseason. Regardless of Scott's availability, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze are locked in as the Bears' top three receivers.

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.