Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver DeVonta Smith exited Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints early after a brutal hit from Saints defensive lineman Khristian Boyd.
What’s the latest on Smith, and is he in danger of missing the Eagles’ Week 4 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
What’s the Latest on DeVonta Smith’s Injury?
After the hit from Boyd, Smith is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Philadelphia defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson wasn’t pleased with Boyd’s hit, calling it a “cheap shot” and “the dirtiest s–t (he) ever saw in football.”
Scary scene in New Orleans where Eagles WR DeVonta Smith took a brutal hit and was down on the ground for a bit.
He eventually got up and walked off under his own power. 👀👇 pic.twitter.com/LzrCiHT9WD
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) September 22, 2024
Smith was well on his way to another impressive performance for the Eagles in New Orleans. Serving as Philadelphia’s top wide receiver, Smith hauled in seven receptions for 79 yards against one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Now, Smith will miss the Eagles’ Week 4 game against the Buccaneers, the team that knocked Philadelphia out of the playoffs in January. The team announced he was out after he didn’t practicie on Friday.
The Eagles have missed WR A.J. Brown (hamstring) for the past two weeks. Running back Saquon Barkley (147 rushing yards, 2 TDs) and tight end Dallas Goedert (10 receptions for 170 yards) picked up the slack during Sunday’s win over the Saints.
Brown (hamstring) and Britain Covey (shoulder) will also be sidelined on Sunday, meaning the Eagles will be missing their top three receivers against Tampa Bay.
The Eagles have their bye week in Week 5, so it comes at the perfect time for Philly. Hopefully, Smith and Brown will be available in Week 6 when Philadelphia faces the Cleveland Browns.
Who Would Step Up in Smith’s Absence?
With Brown, Smith, and Covey all sidelined, the Eagles enter today’s game with just four available WRs: Jahan Dotson, Parris Campbell, John Ross, and rookie Johnny Wilson. They have totaled 36 yards on six catches this season, as FOX Sports Bucs beat writer Greg Auman noted.
Dotson was acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders prior to the start of the season, but he has struggled to make an impact with Philly thus far.
According to TruMedia, Dotson has run 94 total routes through the Eagles’ first three games. Despite running the third-most routes on the Eagles, Dotson has been targeted by Jalen Hurts just three times.
Dotson has hauled in three of his five targets for just 14 yards. Considering that the Eagles traded a future third-round pick for Dotson, he’ll need to take a significant step forward with Philadelphia’s wide receiver room decimated by injuries.
SEE MORE: Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart
Aside from Dotson, rookie Johnny Wilson is the only other wide receiver remaining on Philadelphia’s active roster. Wilson has shown flashes of dominance as a blocker, but he hasn’t made many plays as a pass catcher.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about Wilson’s progress during his press conference on Monday.
“I just think he’s really tough, first and foremost,” Sirianni said. “Talent is just the beginning. It’s about how tough you are if you’re going to reach your ceiling. Obviously talented and unique. He has unique traits with how big and strong he is.”
While the Eagles have continued to praise Wilson for his uniqueness since selecting him in the 2024 NFL Draft, it’s time for him to show it as a pass catcher. If Philadelphia’s top three wide receivers are out in Week 4, Wilson will likely receive the first start of his NFL career.
Considering that Covey is reportedly set to miss at least six weeks, the Eagles will likely place him on injured reserve. In that scenario, veteran WR Parris Campbell will likely be signed to Philadelphia’s active roster.
Campbell was elevated to the active roster in Week 3 and made two receptions against the Saints. In 27 total routes against New Orleans, Campbell was targeted twice by Hurts and hauled in both receptions for 13 yards.
Although the much-needed bye week is approaching in Week 5, the Eagles could be forced to play without the team’s top three wide receivers against the Buccaneers. Philadelphia’s starting wide receiver trio could be Dotson, Wilson, and Campbell down in Tampa.
Fantasy Impact
This is a tough game to predict fantasy-wise given how many injuries the Eagles are dealing with. The best bet is to avoid all Eagles’ wide receivers since it’s unclear who will emerge as Hurts’ top option. With that said, expect Saquon Barkley and tight end Dallas Goedert to be very involved and receive more targets than usual.
Barkley has at least four catches and 95 rushing yards in consecutive games. It’s been six years since the last time we saw a back record three straight such games.
As for Goedert, what he did in Week 3 was very surprising. We are talking about a tight end that didn’t have a 40-yard catch in three of six seasons entering 2024. Seasons. He did it twice in essentially three quarters in New Orleans last week.
Of course, that’s nothing you can bank on, but he does have back-to-back-to-back top-10 finishes at the position and is the only tight end who can claim that. Goedert has a catch gaining more than 15 yards in all three contests, a skill set that doesn’t feel sticky, but any semblance of upside, even on limited volume, is worth your while at TE.
With Brown and Smith out, Goedert’s stock is trending up and deserves to be locked in with reasonable confidence this week.
With Brown and Smith both out, not to mention Barkley thriving, I’m not expecting this to be Jalen Hurts’ best fantasy performance. He’s failed to throw multiple touchdown passes in seven of his past eight games as a road favorite, but with an implied total approaching 25 points and his athletic profile, he’s still an easy start in all formats this weekend.