3 years agoDeVonta Smith opened his rookie season with an impressive performance, catching six balls for 71 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. It looked like those who drafted him were in for a real treat. But the production bounced around all season. He scored over 18 PPR points in five games, but under nine PPR points in nine games. That was partially due to the Eagles throwing the ball less in the second half of the season. From Weeks 1 through 7, Smith saw 7.6 targets on 32 routes run per game. From Weeks 8 through 18, he saw just 5.1 targets on 20.1 routes run per game. The positives included his 87.5 air yards per game, good for 12th amongst all receivers, as well as his average depth of target (aDOT) of 14.4 yards, good for sixth amongst all receivers. However, he saw just eight red zone targets and his catchable target rate was just 76.7%, 45th amongst all receivers (metrics per PlayerProfiler). For Smith to improve off his WR37 finish in 2021, he'll need a couple of things to happen. First, he'll need the Eagles to throw more throughout the season. The A.J. Brown trade signals them wanting to do that, and Brown's presence should help open things up for the second-year man, but it will also undoubtedly take away some valuable targets. Second, Jalen Hurts is going to have to show improvement as a passer. The Eagles went away from the passing game starting in Week 8 last season, and Smith's numbers took a nosedive. He and Brown form an impressive one-two punch in the passing game, but will Hurts take that next step forward in his development to support two fantasy-relevant wide receivers? Consider Smith a top-40 option with upside to finish as high as a top-25 guy in 2022 should the Eagles become a more pass-happy offense.--Adam Koffler - RotoBaller