Eagles

Painful: The Eagles Will (Reportedly) Not Have DeVonta Smith, But the Rams (Reportedly) Will Have Puka Nacua

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Oct 2nd, 2026 · 9:51 AM EDT

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Well this sucks!

There is not much optimism Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith will play Sunday against the Rams, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo.

Smith has been sidelined with a hamstring injury this week and the expectation is he won’t be able to go Sunday.

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) October 1, 2026

Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters that he expects WR Puka Nacua, who has had a groin injury, to play Sunday vs. the Eagles.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 30, 2026

Eagles not expected to have their best receiver, while the Rams are expected to return their best receiver. Lovely!

Smitty leads the Birds with 235 receiving yards. That’s on a team-high 19 receptions and 27 targets. He has one touchdown and his fourth quarter Tennessee toe-taps are the only reason the Birds were in position to win that game.

Nacua has only played in the Melbourne game for LA. He caught five of his nine targets for 74 yards. Matt Stafford has turned to Davante Adams in the meantime, who has 358 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18 receptions.

I’m sitting here looking at the best sports betting apps, and the Eagles are a +3.5 home dog on Sunday. First time they’ve been a dog this season. The over/under is set at 43. Dontayvion Wicks’ receiving yardage is set at 57.5, so if you think he’s gonna get Smitty’s targets, grab a DraftKings promo code or BetRivers bonus code and go for it. Nacua’s O/U is 79.5 yards.

This is gonna be a tough one for Jalen Hurts, who is without his WR1 and his TE1. Dallas Goedert remains sidelined. Wicks has shown some flashes here and there. He has 179 yards and touchdown on nine receptions. Makai Lemon has been used incorrectly, with the Eagles throwing him some bullshit screens and whatnot. Darius Cooper could get some targets in this game. They’ve got Hollywood Brown on the roster, who doesn’t have a single target but has carried the ball twice via end arounds.

Go Birds! (zero confidence in this game)