Fantasy Football Player Notes

It was certainly a disappointing to watch Smith finish with just four catches for 54 yards against the Panthers, though it wasn't really his fault, as he caught all four of his targets. With Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders out of the lineup, you would've thought he would've had more. That may be the case again this week against the Bears, who've been brutal on opposing receviers. Through seven games, they've allowed just four receivers to top 58 yards against them. They've also allowed just a 57.3 percent catch-rate to receivers, so the targets absolutely need to be there in order for a receiver to succeed. He's moving all over the formation, including the slot almost half the time, which does get him away from Kyle Fuller and Jaylon Johnson. The Bears have Buster Skrine in the slot, and he's allowed 28-of-39 passing for 279 yards and a touchdown in his coverage, so he is the weakest link. Still, it's a brutal matchup. If Thomas and Sanders are out again, Smith should still be in the high-end WR4 conversation, as even backup receiver Marquez Callaway suffered an ankle sprain last week. If Thomas plays, Smith would move down into WR5 territory.