The absence of WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) for Sunday's loss to the Rams obviously elevated the role and importance for every remaining Eagles receiver. But neither Dontayvion Wicks nor rookie Makai Lemon led the group. Darious Cooper drew a team-high 7 targets, caught three of them for a team-high 33 yards, and scored both Eagles TDs. Lemon followed with a 3-27 receiving line on 6 targets, while Wicks went 3-18 on 5 targets. Philadelphia totaled just 93 passing yards for the game, as Jalen Hurts endured his lowest yardage output and worst completion rate (44.4%) of any pro game he's started and finished.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: This is Not the Receiving Corps You are Looking for
Cooper trailed Wicks' snap lead by just 1 (56-55) and finished between Wicks and Lemon in routes:
- Wicks -- 31 (96.9% of team dropbacks)
- Cooper -- 29 (90.6%)
- Lemon -- 27 (84.4%)
He now has 3 TDs on the season among just 5 catches.
This game marked just the second time in his two seasons with the team that Cooper exceeded 44% playing time. The last came in Week 18 last year, with Philly resting starters.
He has no NFL games with more than 3 receptions and just 21 career targets.
In short, Cooper has showed us that the Eagles trust him, but it's not yet time to seek fantasy value here outside the deepest of leagues.
One More Week of Magic?
That said, Smith appears unlikely to return for Week 5 and is no lock for the game beyond that.
Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Smith "could be out two to three games."
That should keep Cooper among the top three for at least the Week 5 visit to Jacksonville. Combine his limited history with a terrible matchup (Jags second in defensive DVOA) and Philly's offensive struggles, though, and you get an unattractive fantasy option for most leagues.
Start Nobody If Possible
Lemon and Wicks also proved Sunday against the Rams that Smith's absence doesn't necessarily make them more fantasy-viable.
Wicks has exceeded 3 catches just once through four games, averaging 5.0 targets and 3.0 receptions per contest.
Lemon has fared even worse, averaging 3.75 targets and 2.5 receptions plus a meager 6.5 yards per catch.
Just try to avoid the Philly passing game as much as you can while Smith's out.
