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Fantasy Football Injury Impact: DeVonta Smith's Hamstring Injury Can Create Two Week 4 Starters

Makai Lemon and Dontayvion Wicks are in for huge roles in the Eagles' Week 4 offense if DeVonta Smith is inactive nursing a hamstring injury.
Thomas Carelli|
Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) walks onto the field before the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images
Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) walks onto the field before the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Philadelphia Eagles

Through Thursday, October 1, DeVonta Smith is yet to practice for the Eagles. His injury has been attributed to his hamstring. The Eagles only had a walkthrough on Wednesday, rather than an actual practice, after playing on Night Football. Yet, fantasy managers can err on the side of caution about Smith's Sunday status. Below, I delve into the details of Smith's Week 4 status.

Fantasy Football Impact

The Eagles have Makai Lemon and Dontayvion Wicks healthy at starting. If Smith is out, Hollywood Brown could see an increased workload. However, Brown is also a Thursday DNP.

The expected backups are Elijah Moore and Darius Cooper. They are the only two other pass-catchers we could expect to have a meaningful role.

If Smith were out, we could expect the new and volatile yard-share share changes:

Assuming Hollywood Brown's DNP status lists him also out.

  • Dontayvion Wicks: 26.5% to 35%
  • Makai Lemon: 13.5% to 29%
  • Saquon Barkley: 5.5% to 8%
  • Darius Cooper: 3.5% to 8%
  • Zach Ertz: Newly 6%
  • Small balances to every other pass-catcher

Wicks would be a high-end WR2 in fantasy football and a must-start. Lemon would be a low-end WR2 and definitely worth starting on upside alone. Lemon should see increased involvement as his rookie season progresses and chemistry builds. He had 4 targets, 3 receptions, and 29 yards in Week 3.

Fantasy managers can expect the Eagles to revert to a heavier run script if Smith were out. They lack game-breaking depth at the pass-catcher position. They even had to sign veteran free agent Zach Ertz less than two weeks ago to replace Dallas Goedert.

I project the Eagles to be the 3rd run-heavy team in the NFL, and that is with Smith active. The team's run rate ranked just 18th in the NFL through three games; however, a closer look shows that's not entirely accurate. The Eagles trailed the Bears this past week, game to wire. Thus, Philadelphia passed the ball 60% of the time.

In their two prior games, the Eagles had a pass rate of 54.2%; in prior games, it was 45.8%. That number is more true to my current run-heavy projection of 45.5% of plays coming through the ground attack.

If Smith were out, the team would want to trust Saquon Barkley in most high-leverage situations. I can imagine Philadelphia ran the ball around, if not more than 50% of the time.

The Eagles get the LA Rams in Week 4. Though at home, the Eagles are already projected losers by a small margin. That margin will widen if Smith, a top-10 NFL wide receiver, misses the game. In turn, that could force a high run rate.

As a fantasy football manager, I ultimately view the Eagles' offense without Smith in Week 4 as volatile. In such a case, it's a high-upside, high-risk play.

I find the setup favors the upside more than the risk on both Wicks and Lemon in high volume, given a weak depth chart. Barkley's volume is too good to pass up, as we will see. Ertz is not worth a start, nor is any other Eagle.

DeVonta Smith Injury Update

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Sep 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smith did not practice on Thursday; citing the same injury as last week, he also did not practice last Thursday. In that subsequent game, Smith had 8 targets, 6 receptions, and 65 yards. There was no real noticeable drop-off in statistical output versus a usual range of outcomes.

The Eagles have no comments on Smith's status as of Thursday's injury report. Nick Sirianni's next presser will take place on Friday. In which case, fantasy managers, including me, will learn more.

Don't panic about Smith just yet. There are nearly three days from the publication until kickoff. You can find streamers by clicking here. However, wait to see whether Smith practices on Friday before deciding how aggressively to manage your lineup ahead of Week 4. Don't drop anyone yet to hedge against Smith's game status. It is not yet worth it.

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Thomas Carelli
THOMAS CARELLI

Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.

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