Davante Adams or DeVonta Smith: Who Should You Start?

DeVonta Smith’s every-down role edges Davante Adams’ red-zone upside

Smith gets the nod because his more secure deployment gives the slightly better projection a sturdier floor, while nearly identical team environments do little to separate them. Adams remains a strong start: his 24% target share and red-zone profile can turn fewer snaps into a spike week, and his connection with Stafford has continued to build (therams.com 2026-09-07). The real separator is usage, with Smith’s WR1-caliber role more dependable than Adams’ nominal WR-2 slot in a Rams room that retained all six wideouts and added a rookie (therams.com 2026-09-07). The risk is that Adams’ release ability creates the bigger scoring role and erases Smith’s narrow edge.

What flips it: A confirmed expansion of Adams’ route volume or a reduction in Smith’s every-down role.

Sources: therams.com · Sep 7, 2026

AI editor

Head-to-head stats

Signal breakdown

• 13.8 vs 14.8 projected PPR pointsDeVonta Smith +
• Rank 18 vs 10DeVonta Smith +
• Matchup (DvP composite)even
• Implied 25.8 vs 26.0 team pointsDeVonta Smith +
• No injury designationseven
• 71% vs 84% snap shareDeVonta Smith +

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Week 1245 players

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WR · Davante Adams

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WR · DeVonta Smith

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