As a rookie in 2021, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith led the team with 64 receptions, 916 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns. With the arrival of A.J. Brown, the perception is that Smith’s production will go down, but the rapport he built with QB Jalen Hurts will serve him well heading into his second season.
Below, we look at DeVonta Smith’s 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
When playing their best, the Eagles are a team that likes to run and does so effectively. But when they pass, instead of getting an opponent’s top cornerback or being doubled with safety help like he did much of last season, Smith is likely to see more single coverage and a lot of that will come from a No. 2 corner.
DeVonta Smith’s ADP: 98.28
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
Smith finds himself in a 5-man combo platter of receivers that have been coming off the board in quick succession in the 10th and 11th rounds of early drafts. His ADP number is a little behind WR Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers) at 92.93, rookie WR Drake London (Atlanta Falcons) at 94.17 and Tyler Lockett (Seattle Seahawks) at 95.74 and before Christian Kirk (Jacksonville Jaguars) at 100.12 and Robert Woods (Tennessee Titans) at 103.80.
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DeVonta Smith’s 2021 stats
Games: 17
Receptions | targets: 64 | 104
Receiving yards: 916
Receiving touchdowns: 5
Where should you draft Smith?
Smith is the 40th-ranked wide receiver by ADP numbers and that may be a little too low. The arrival of Brown shouldn’t be as big a blow as some have speculated because Smith set a solid baseline as a rookie when he was receiving a lot more attention as the team’s top wide receiver.
The bigger question is whether Hurts can take his game to a higher level. There are a lot of believers that the Eagles have the horses to win the NFC East. They have proved they have a strong run game, but don’t sleep on Smith. As a low-end WR4, he has the ability to be in fantasy lineups more often than his numbers would indicate and he has the potential to be as big or bigger than he was as a rookie.
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