DeVonta Smith
Smith remains Philadelphia's high-floor, high-target-share WR2/1B in an offense that has actually favored him over A.J. Brown for stretches of this season, making him a weekly starter with WR1-caliber upside.
Role
Full-time starter working essentially every snap; carrying a 24-26% target share (per Week 8/10 outlooks) with roughly 72-74 receiving yards per game, ranking second on the team in red-zone targets and first in deep targets. A.J. Brown remains the other outside receiver competing for looks, with the two essentially splitting the WR1/WR2 role game-to-game depending on matchup and coverage shell (Smith has done notably better against two-high looks). His preseason absence was standard veteran rest, not an injury flag, and hasn't affected his regular-season workload.
Analysts point out Smith has actually outproduced A.J. Brown for stretches this season, sits at a career-high-caliber 24-26% target share, leads the team in deep and red-zone looks, and has finished as a top-20 weekly WR in four of his last six games — evidence he's become Jalen Hurts' primary read rather than a clear No. 2.
Skeptics note the Eagles run a run-heavy, Saquon Barkley-centric offense that caps overall passing volume, and that A.J. Brown's continued presence means Smith's target share, while strong, still isn't a true monopoly — game-to-game variance in which receiver 'wins' the matchup keeps his weekly ceiling less predictable than a clear alpha WR1.
Where analysts split
Whether Smith has genuinely overtaken A.J. Brown as Philadelphia's true No. 1 receiver for the rest of this season, or whether the two remain a game-script-dependent 1A/1B tandem with volume capped by the run-first offense.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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