Who Should I Start? Xavier Hutchinson or Ihmir Smith-Marsette


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.1 0.6 0.0 1.1 14.2 0.1

Xavier Hutchinson News

Xavier Hutchinson Considered Houston's WR4

Friday, July 10, 5:04 PM

Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated lists Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson as the team's No. 4 wideout with training camp approaching, behind Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel. Tank Dell (knee), who missed all of last season due to a devastating knee injury suffered in 2024, could also surprise some people by climbing up the WR totem pole in Houston. The 26-year-old Hutchinson had his best year in 2025 in his third season in the NFL, catching 35 of his 57 targets for 428 yards and his first three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (six starts). Higgins and Noel, both second-year wideouts, continue to separate themselves from the rest of the pack and are fully expected to take on bigger roles in the passing attack to support stud No. 1 WR Collins. Steady volume and consistent playing time are going to be hard to come by for Hutchinson, who was a sixth-rounder in 2023 out of Iowa State, in 2026. In standard 12-team fantasy leagues, Hutchinson should go undrafted.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Ihmir Smith-Marsette News

Ihmir Smith-Marsette Injures Ankle

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.


Xavier Hutchinson vs. Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Still trying to decide between Hutchinson and Smith-Marsette? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Xavier Hutchinson is projected to score 3.1 points this week while Ihmir Smith-Marsette is projected to score 0.0 points.