DeVonta

Smith

The Eagles did not hold an official practice today so this is just an estimation but Smith’s return to the injury report is notable. He dealt with a nagging, multi-week hamstring strain earlier this season that kept him sidelined in Weeks 12-13. Hopefully, Smith can get fully healthy by February 9th.

Smith’s longest catch was an early 20-yarder where he probably didn’t get both feet in bounds. The Commanders opted not to challenge. Smith took a backseat to A.J. Brown, who finally got cooking for 6/96/1. The Eagles will look to keep riding their rushing attack in Super Bowl LIX, but probably won’t have the luxury of hibernating their passing attack vs. either Kansas City or Buffalo.

Smith’s 21 receiving yards were good for third-most on the team. In a game where the Eagles managed just 128 yards through the air as a team, Smith was one of four pass-catchers who failed to crack 30 receiving yards on the afternoon. Dallas Goedert was the only player to surpass 30 yards, as the veteran tight end led the Eagles with 56 receiving yards. Weather and a stout Rams pass rush wreaked havoc on Philly’s offense all afternoon. We’d expect things to look a little different in next week’s NFC Championship Game against the Commanders.

Smith was instrumental in setting up Philadelphia’s second touchdown to push the lead to 16-3, snagging a deep crosser for 28 yards and following that up with a nine-yard catch underneath. It was a fine effort given the Eagles passing volume, just not a fantasy-lucrative one as he didn’t wind up with a touchdown. Smith figures to remain heavily involved in the Divisional Round. The Eagles are awaiting the lowest remaining seed of the 3-6 and 4-5 matchups.

Smith was held out of Friday’s practice with what has been reported as “back tightness” but the Eagles have been resting their stars as much as possible so it is likely a precautionary move more than anything. Smith should be active, and feeling loose, on Sunday against the Packers.

The Eagles aren’t risking the health of any of their star players ahead of Sunday’s game against the Packers. Smith becomes the second receiver to be sidelined by the Eagles out of precaution, as the team has also exercised caution with A.J. Brown (knee) throughout the week. We’re still waiting for the Eagles to release their official injury report, but it seems as if Smith will be good to go regardless of what designation he carries heading into the weekend.

Barkley’s season officially ends with a rush line of 345-2005-13. The decision to rest the star back ahead of the playoffs was expected after head coach Nick Sirianni said earlier in the week that the team planned to rest several starters in the meaningless Week 18 contests. Fantasy managers in the DFS streets can look to Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley as cheap streaming options against the Giants defense.

The Eagles cannot improve their status as the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed so they have no real reason to keep their No. 2 WR active. Smith has battled hamstring and wrist injuries as a late and a week off could be significant dividends down the road. Fantasy managers should expect him to set this week.

Smith and a host of other other Eagles didn’t participate in Thursday’s practice, but it’s worth noting that Philadelphia also gave an injury designation on top of the wrist tag. With the Eagles expected to not play their key players in Week 18 against the Giants, Smith appears to be getting a week off before their playoff run begins.

The Eagles have made clear that most skill position players will be given ample rest this week, and core players like Smith are even unlikely to play on game day. We will see how the week progresses but fantasy managers should expect Smith to be ruled out for Week 18.