DeVontaSmith

News: 1 hour agoHead coach Nick Sirianni expressed hope Monday that Smith (hamstring) would return for this Sunday's game against the Panthers, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

Spin: Smith has missed the Eagles' last two games due to a hamstring injury, and the Eagles were also without Saquon Barkley (hamstring) for their 19-17 Week 5 loss to the Jaguars in London. Smith has been limited to side work over the last couple of weeks, but a return to practice during Week 6 prep, even in a limited capacity, would be a positive step in his rehab program. Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon will continue to be the Eagles' top wide receivers in Smith's absence, though Darius Cooper appears to have been the biggest beneficiary of Smith's injury, with Cooper logging a 5-104-3 receiving line (on 10 targets) over his last two games.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: It's generally tough for a former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft pick to fly under the radar, but that has been the case for Smith in recent years. With all eyes on A.J. Brown, Smith has finished no lower than 30th among receivers in fantasy PPG in each of his five seasons (top 30 in PPG each of the last four). The "slim reaper" saw a big dip in touchdowns last season (four, after at least seven the prior three seasons), but remained very efficient (career 9.1 yards per target and 2.1 yards per route run). Smith has handled roughly one-quarter of the Eagles' targets throughout his career, and that may rise slightly after Brown was traded to New England. Smith, 27, is the Eagles' No. 1 receiver for the first time as a non-rookie and is well positioned for a strong WR2 campaign.