DeVonta Smith vs Kyren Williams

“Round 5: DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI) Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams was staring me in the face, but with a FLEX spot still available in a PPR league, I couldn’t pass up DeVonta Smith .”

“DeVonta Smith is a terrific receiver, but it might be a mistake to assume that Smith’s 2026 numbers will dwarf those of Lemon, the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft.”

“WR DeVonta Smith will move into the WR1 role on the Eagles and in fantasy. When A.J. Brown has missed games in the past, he steps up.”

“DeVonta Smith (PHI) : ADP 26.5 | WR12 The worst-kept secret in the NFL was the A.J. Brown trade. Smith has taken over as the Eagles’ No. 1 wide receiver with Brown in New England. Last season, he finished as the WR20, averaging 11.9 PPR fantasy points per game.”

“Last season, DeVonta Smith (like the rest of the Eagles’ offense) failed to live up to expectations. It was the former Heisman Trophy winner’s worst statistical season since his rookie year, way back in 2021. This year, the Eagles have made some changes.”

“In 21 games without Brown, Smith has over 1,200 yards and six touchdowns with almost seven targets per game. Now the clear No. 1 WR in Philly, his cost on Fantrax is just far too low.”

“He also pointed to anticipated schematic changes that could create more play-action and pre-snap motion, potentially increasing Smith's efficiency without requiring a dramatic spike in volume.”

“Jake Ciely believes Devonta Smith continues to be undervalued. Smith has already demonstrated that he can produce WR1 numbers whenever he's asked to handle a featured role. Even with other weapons in the offense, Ciely expects Philadelphia's passing attack to remain heavily concentrated, giving Smith another opportunity to outperform his draft position.”

“Smith has averaged over 1,000 receiving yards per season despite serving as a complementary piece to Brown. He is wired for big moments and big roles, and feels more than ready to become the focal point of the Eagles' passing game. He will almost certainly dominate targets in 2026 as long as he stays healthy.”

“Smith has taken over as the Eagles' No. 1 wide receiver with Brown in New England. Smith was outstanding when seeing enough volume, averaging 19.3 fantasy points per game in the seven contests where he had seven or more targets, scoring 20 or more in nearly a third of those outings.”

“Devonta Smith is a wide receiver for your Grand-Dad's democratic party. He used to boast about his open-mindedness to smaller wide receivers and he even mentioned Smith's impressive splits without A.J. Brown.”

“Now the unquestioned top receiving threat for Philadelphia following the departure of A.J. Brown to New England, Smith will see a clear path towards WR1 volume. Smith already has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his five-year career playing second-fiddle, so it stands to reason he can take a significant step forward with higher target volume and more plays designed towards him.”

“Kyren Williams slotted behind Omarion Hampton and only barely ahead of Jeremiyah Love is, frankly, scandalous. Williams is entering his age-26 season, so he certainly isn’t cooked.”

“Round 3: Kyren Williams (RB – LAR) Kyren Williams was the counter-pick, a player who’s kept sliding further down draft boards each offseason despite finishing as a top-10 running back in fantasy points per game last year. Much of the hesitation traces back to a well-known backfield split with a rookie teammate, but the full-season split was closer to 65-35 in Williams’ favor, not the even split many assume.”

“Drafting Perine robs you of a chance to find the next Kyren Williams—a late-round pick in 2023 who ran for 1,144 yards and scored 15 touchdowns that year.”

“You can likely snag him in the fifth or even sixth round. There, you are landing a player who has finished as the RB10, RB10, and RB2 in fantasy points per game since 2023. If you're still on the fence, know that Williams gets one of the five easiest schedules for running backs.”

“Kyren Williams catches a lot of flak, but much of it seems unwarranted. All the guy does is produce. He has three straight seasons of at least 1,100 rushing yards, 30-plus receptions, and 13 touchdowns. And yet, he's sitting all the way down at RB22 in dynasty rankings.”

“For the fourth straight season, there is a clear runway for Kyren to have another top 10 finish along with 10-plus touchdowns.”

“Corum only had one game above 40 percent of the snaps. Even with this stretch, Williams remained the lead back and was heavily relied on in the playoffs.”

“In points per game, he was two slots lower at RB11, averaging 15.5 points per outing. Williams does add a bit of production in the pass-catching game, which is a plus because Blake Corum doesn't catch the ball. However, when it comes to running the ball, Corum looked like the better option many times.”

“While Kyren Williams ran 259 times for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns, and caught 36 passes for 281 yards and three more scores, I believe he's in for a down season. Last season, Williams finished as the RB9 in PPR leagues.”

“Kyren Williams was the RB10 in fantasy points per game last season, marking his third straight year finishing inside the top 15. Blake Corum did eat into his playing time a bit, but Williams still held onto the valuable red-zone role.”

“Williams is valued a bit too highly across dynasty marketplaces for his projection moving forward.”

“Kyren Williams threw his support behind OT Warren McClendon, Jr. and reiterated that he was a staple along the team's offensive line last season. "I learned so much about Warren. I love him as a player and being out there on that field with him when I had the chance this year to do that with him. It was fun because he has that competitive mindset, competitive spirit."”