DeVonta Smith Is the Eagles' WR1 Now. Draft Him Like It.
DeVonta Smith is the Eagles' unquestioned WR1 going into the 2026 season, and if your fantasy draft room hasn't adjusted yet, that's your edge.
A.J. Brown has been traded to the New England Patriots, leaving a significant vacuum in Philadelphia's receiving corps. Brown, who was the chain-moving, target-hogging No. 1 receiver, is now in Foxborough, and the receiver who benefits most from his departure is Smith. The 2021 first-round pick has quietly been one of the most efficient pass-catchers in the NFC since entering the league. This is not merely a depth-chart shift--it's a repricing event. Most fantasy managers are still valuing Smith like a complementary piece instead of the volume play he is poised to become.
What the Role Change Actually Means
Smith caught 77 passes for 1,008 yards and 4 touchdowns across 17 games last season. That's a solid line, and it came with Brown on the field soaking up attention and targets. Two points stand out about that production. First, the yardage total is real and repeatable for a player with Smith's separation ability and route precision. Second, the touchdown number is low--and that's the sweet spot in fantasy football.
An elite separator with a modest touchdown rate often gets undervalued because touchdowns are volatile, while targets and yards tend to be more consistent. When a receiver with real target-earning skill posts 4 touchdowns on 77 catches, the market tends to punish him the subsequent season. That's a behavioral mistake. Smith's profile suggests his touchdown total should regress upward as his volume and role increase.
Now remove Brown from the equation entirely. Someone has to absorb the attention and looks that went to a true alpha receiver. Smith is that someone. The Eagles do not roster another proven, established outside option with the kind of commanding presence Brown had. There is a hierarchy in this receiving room, and Smith sits firmly at the top.
The Supporting Cast Is Real, but It's Still Smith's Room
The Eagles have added several bodies to support Smith, and a few are intriguing. Hollywood Brown (no relation) caught 49 passes for 587 yards and 5 touchdowns with Kansas City in 2025, Elijah Moore had 9 catches for 112 yards in 9 games with Buffalo, and Dontayvion Wicks recorded 30 catches for 332 yards and 2 scores across 14 games with Green Bay. These are useful depth pieces, but none is a target magnet or positioned to supplant Smith as the WR1.
Philadelphia's 2026 first-round pick from USC, Makai Lemon, also deserves watchful eyes. Rookies can carve out roles quickly, and a first-round wideout in the offense led by coordinator Sean Mannion is worth tracking. However, rookies rarely command a target share that threatens a veteran with Smith's status--especially on a team like the Eagles, who enter 2026 with approximately $12.73 million in salary cap space and a roster built to compete immediately. Smith anchors this room.
Why the Fantasy Math Works
Here's the number that matters most: 77 catches, 1,008 yards, and 4 touchdowns over 17 games. That's the floor, not the ceiling, since it came with an offense featuring Brown as the primary weapon. Projecting Smith forward involves simple arithmetic dressed up as analysis: fewer mouths, more reps.
Smith is on track for a meaningful jump in targets, which translates into more catches and yards. The touchdown number is the swing factor. If he settles around 6 to 8 touchdowns instead of 4, he projects as a high-end WR2 with WR1 upside based on volume alone. In PPR formats, a jump in receptions is often more valuable than scoring increases. Smith catches the ball consistently, runs precise routes, and earns his targets rather than relying on contested catches that cap upside.
This is exactly the profile that thrives when a receiver becomes the first read in the offense. Smith has never been the true first read for a full season in Philadelphia--now he is.
Start/Sit and Draft Strategy
In redraft leagues, Smith should be drafted above his consensus ADP. If your league still prices him as a WR3 because Brown's departure hasn't fully registered, take the discount and move on. In best-ball formats, Smith is a target share bet with touchdown upside--the archetype you want to stack.
For daily fantasy sports (DFS), the early-season pricing angle matters. Week 1 lines and receiving props are likely set based on last year's Smith performance, not this year's anticipated role. That's a short-term pricing inefficiency. If Smith's yardage prop is listed in the 60s, that's an overlay worth betting once lines are posted. The Eagles enter the 2026 season as +1500 Super Bowl contenders, expected to throw in competitive games rather than run out the clock, which bodes well for a target-hogging WR1.
Tight end Dallas Goedert could siphon some red-zone targets. He caught 60 passes for 591 yards and an impressive 11 touchdowns in 2025--the latter being a monstrous figure for a tight end. The red-zone target battle will be the primary battleground. If Goedert maintains a high touchdown role, Smith's ceiling on scoring could be slightly capped. But fading Goedert's touchdowns before Smith's volume would be a mistake.
The Hurts Variable
Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 3,224 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025, while rushing for 421 yards and 8 more scores. Hurts's rushing production caps Eagles passing volume compared to more pass-happy offenses, which limits Smith's ceiling somewhat. Still, it does not affect Smith's status as the No. 1 target.
One key factor to monitor is Hurts's rapport with Smith relative to new teammates. Established chemistry matters. Smith already has it with Hurts; new receivers like Hollywood Brown and Wicks are working to build it. In critical moments, Hurts will look for his trusted first read: Smith--until someone overtakes him, and no one currently appears positioned to do so.
My Verdict
DeVonta Smith is a buy in every format. In fact, he projects as a top-15 wide receiver in PPR leagues by season's end. The role is fully his, the volume is coming, and the market still discounts him because last year's touchdown total looks ordinary. That's a mistake many managers will make in drafts over the next week. Don't be that manager.
If Smith posts anything close to 90 catches, 1,100 yards, and improves his touchdown rate, this article will have aged well--and managers who reached for him early will look smart. Consider this a flag planted early in the 2026 fantasy football season.
Sources:
- NFL.com report on A.J. Brown trade to New England (2026-09-07 announcement)
- 2025 season stats for Philadelphia Eagles receivers and tight ends
- Philadelphia Eagles' 2026 draft class and salary cap information (Over The Cap)
