Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is finally here and the campaign will kick off on Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
DeVonta Smith start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice
We break down the fantasy football outlook of DeVonta Smith ahead of the Eagles’ Week 1 opener against the Cowboys.
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Philly will officially begin its Super Bowl title defense against a hated NFC East rival and is hoping that the march to a potential repeat will begin with a big victory at home. Many of the same faces that dominated the Kansas City Chiefs this past February are back for the Birds and that includes wide receiver DeVonta Smith. He enters the season with an ADP (average draft position) of No. 24 in both standard and PPR formats according to FantasyPros and will be relied upon as one of Jalen Hurts’ top passing targets.
Below, we’ll go over Smith’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 1.
Fantasy Football analysis: Eagles WR DeVonta Smith
Despite missing four games during the regular season last year, Smith still had an extremely productive 2024 campaign with 68 receptions for 833 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. Smitty continued to be a perfect passing target opposite All-Pro A.J. Brown and in fact, led the Eagles in receptions despite being sidelined for a month’s worth of games. That made him a top-20 receiver in fantasy points per game across all formats and he figures to play a huge role in the Eagles’ title defense this season.
Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?
Start. Philly is poised to pick right up from where it left off last season and that could mean a big night right out the gate for offensive stars like Smith. His biggest performance of 2024 came against this very Cowboys team in Week 17 last December, where he posted six receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns with Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee at quarterback. Smith is an ideal person to have in a Flex or even a WR2 spot if you want to get your season off to a fast start, so he’s an easy choice to start here.
Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?
Start. Hurts has a treasure trove of weapons that he can turn to in Week 1 including himself. Even so, Smith should safely get his fair share of targets on Thursday night and produce good numbers for PPR managers to start the season.
