DeVonta Smith Fantasy Hub: Week 12 Injury Update, Start/Sit Advice, Projections, and More

The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Washington Commanders in Week 12. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR DeVonta Smith.

Is DeVonta Smith Playing in Week 12?

DeVonta Smith (hamstring) never practiced this week and will not play in Week 12.

This represents a regression for the Eagles’ WR2. Smith was a DNP for last week’s Wednesday practice but returned for limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. He posted four catches for 29 yards in Philadelphia’s Week 11 win over the Commanders.

It’s possible that Smith returned to game action too quickly. Hamstring injuries can often linger, and if Smith aggravated his issue last Sunday, he could be starting a muli-week problem.

A.J. Brown’s already massive target share will only expand with Smith sidelined, while Jahan Dotson should step into the Eagles’ WR2 role.

We’ll continue to monitor the Eagles’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.

DeVonta Smith’s Fantasy Outlook

It’s OK to be frustrated with DeVonta Smith, but it’s not OK to be surprised by him. He fell flat on his birthday against the Commanders last week, but this is who he is as a fantasy asset.

• In 2022, Smith cleared 1,000 yards and scored seven times — he failed to clear 50 yards seven times
• In 2023, Smith cleared 1,000 yards and scored seven times — he failed to clear 50 yards seven times

His fantasy points per target have increased each season of his career while his current aDOT and target share are right in line with where his career marks are. Was the Week 11 disappointment projectable?

Washington entered the game trending up in pressure rate, and Smith’s target share is 9.4 percentage points lower when Jalen Hurts is sped up than when he’s not since 2023. We should be on the plus side of that trend this week against a Rams defense that ranks below league average in both pressure and blitz rate, making Smith a plenty viable option to click into your lineup, even after consecutive air balls.

Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 12 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

DeVonta Smith’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 12

Smith is projected to score 0 points.

Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.

PFN Insight on the Commanders' Defense

The Commanders were a below-average defense for most of the season, which their final ranking reflects. Ultimately, Washington's performance was largely fairly consistent based on their level of competition.

The Commanders had five weekly top-10 finishes in the regular season. Those performances have come against the Browns, Panthers, Bears, Titans, and the Kenny Pickett-led Eagles. Setting Philadelphia aside, the other four all rank in the bottom 10 of PFN's Offense+ metric.

While Washington forced five turnovers in their Divisional Round upset over the Lions, they still only generated a 70.7 (C-) grade. The Commanders actually allowed a season-worst 7.7 yards per play, as the Lions moved the ball at will when they weren't throwing it away.

Still, Dan Quinn's unit deserves credit for causing some of those errors from Detroit's offense. Washington generated its fourth-highest non-blitz pressure rate of the season (43.2%), well above its regular-season rate of 33.6%. Three of Jared Goff's four turnovers came when pressured, illustrating the impact the pass rush had on the outcome.

The Commanders will face another difficult test in the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles' ground game, though Philadelphia's passing game struggles could make that a more palatable matchup. If this unit can continue to generate a couple splash plays, Daniels and the offense could do the rest.

For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis. 

DeVonta Smith’s Fantasy Ranking

Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25. 

Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings

1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)

Commanders at Eagles Trends and Insights

Washington Commanders

Team: The Commanders won 23.5% of their games last season – the fourth-worst win percentage for a team that took part in a Conference Championship the following season.

QB: Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history with 15 rushes and 20 completions in a postseason game where he averaged 9.5 yards per pass.

QB: Daniels became the first player in NFL history with two touchdowns and 12 rush attempts without an interception in consecutive games.

Offense: Including the playoffs, there have been 15 instances in which a team starting a rookie QB score 34 points this season – the Commanders have accounted for seven of them.

Defense: How impactful has the offense been in Washington? They’ve now allowed over 2.5 points per drive nine times this season – they’ve won seven of those contests. It should be noted that their six worst point-per-drive defensive showings have all come on the road.

Fantasy: Brian Robinson ran for 77 yards and two scores on 15 carries against the Lions on Saturday night. In his previous four games, he ran for 110 yards and zero scores on 38 carries.

Betting: Do you think we'll see points in this game? Washington has covered each of the past four games that have gone over the total.

Philadelphia Eagles

Team: The Eagles lost two games in September and have lost one game since (at Washington, Week 16). In that loss, Philadelphia became the first team to score 21 points in the first quarter in a losing effort since the 2019 Texans (Divisional Round at Chiefs).

QB: Jalen Hurts is averaging 6.3 yards per pass in the postseason, down from 8.0 during the regular season.

Offense: Saquon Barkley has more rushing yards in touchdowns against the Rams this season (282) than any other player has for the season as a whole.

Defense: The Eagles have forced a turnover in 11 of their past 13 games (this coming on a streak of three turnover-less games in Weeks 6-8), including multiple in four of their past five games.

Fantasy: Hurts’ 44-yard TD on Sunday was the fourth longest by a QB inthe  postseason, and he has now run for 29+ yards in 11 straight games (T-9th longest streak by a QB, the second longest streak of his career)

Betting: Since Week 10, overs are 2-0 when the Eagles play the Rams and 2-7 when Philadelphia plays any other team.