Amon-Ra St. Brown vs DeVonta Smith: Who Should You Start?
Amon-Ra St. Brown and DeVonta Smith are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Detroit Lions wide receiver averaged 15.6 PPG in 2025, a full 6.0 points per game ahead of DeVonta Smith's 9.6 with the Philadelphia Eagles. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
A 6.0-PPG gap gives Amon-Ra St. Brown the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Target volume is the story here. Amon-Ra St. Brown saw 172 targets in 2025, while DeVonta Smith drew 113. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Amon-Ra St. Brown, even in weeks where DeVonta Smith posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
One thing to note: both players share a Week 5 bye. That means you need a backup plan at wide receiver for that week, especially if one of these two is your starter.
