2026
2026 season · WR · #87 · 6th season
Brandon Smith
Age 27 · 6'2" · 215 lb · Iowa · Undrafted (2021). Listed WR4 on the 3WR 1TE depth chart. Snap share 40% across 4 games.
- How goodSmith has +2.5 EPA on 2 targets; percentiles arrive once he reaches 15 targets.
- Where it comes fromThe biggest share comes in the air (+2.0).
- Fantasy0.6 standard points a game, WR139 of 171.0.9 half-PPR points a game, WR139 of 171.1.1 PPR points a game, WR139 of 171.
- How he's usedBrandon gets a fingerprint once he reaches 15 targets; the bars show his shares so far without a league percentile.
- LatelyTargets are steady: 0.7 a game over his last three against 0.5 for the season.
- This weekA middle-of-the-pack matchup: the Bengals rank 18th vs WR, allowing +0.26 EPA per target to wide receivers.
How good is hehis line against the league at his position
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target shareof team targets | 4% | |||
| Depth of targetair yards per target | 9.0 | |||
| After the catchyards per reception | 3.0 | |||
| Catch ratereceptions per target | 100% | |||
| EPA per target | +1.23 |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First downsper target | 50% | |||
| Drop ratedrops per target, lower is better | 0% | |||
| Yards per game | 6.0 | |||
| Success rate | 50% | |||
| Total EPA | +2.5 |
Graded once he reaches 15 targets. 99 wide receivers qualify so far.
Smith scores 0.6 standard points a game, WR139 of 171 WRs with enough games. Most weeks land between 0.0 and 1.0; 0 boom weeks (12+) and 4 busts (under 5). Next up, in Week 10, the Bengals allow the 12th-most standard points to WRs, 21.7 a game.
Smith scores 0.9 half-PPR points a game, WR139 of 171 WRs with enough games. Most weeks land between 0.0 and 1.4; 0 boom weeks (16+) and 4 busts (under 6.5). Next up, in Week 10, the Bengals allow the 14th-most half-PPR points to WRs, 27.2 a game.
Smith scores 1.1 PPR points a game, WR139 of 171 WRs with enough games. Most weeks land between 0.0 and 1.8; 0 boom weeks (20+) and 4 busts (under 8). Next up, in Week 10, the Bengals allow the 14th-most PPR points to WRs, 32.8 a game.
How this is measured
Fantasy points are nflverse's standard and full-PPR scoring (6 points for a rushing or receiving touchdown, 4 for a passing touchdown, minus 2 for an interception or a lost fumble); half PPR is the average of the two. Ranks are points a game among players at his position with at least half the most games played. Most weeks is his 20th to 80th percentile game. Bars are green on a boom week and red on a bust; the dashed line is the starter line, the points a game of the WR24 in a 12-team league. The format you pick is remembered on this device.
How he's usedhis fingerprint, where the ball finds him and when
Brandon gets a fingerprint once he reaches 15 targets; the bars show his shares so far without a league percentile.
How this is measured
Every trait is a share of his own targets, so volume does not move it. The marker is him among the league's qualifying wide receivers; the dashed line is the median. Styles are not grades: a high or low percentile is a description, not a verdict. Play action, screen, RPO, motion and blitz flags come from FTN charting and read low in a week it has not published.
Smith has +2.5 EPA on 2 targets; percentiles arrive once he reaches 15 targets. The biggest share comes in the air (+2.0).
How this is measured
Every target this season, split by what happened. Catches divide at the catch: the yards in the air and what came after. The percentile is him among the qualifying wide receivers, higher is better, so a cost smaller than most ranks high. The parts add up to the totals above; the career strip counts seasons with at least 15 targets.
His targets spread much like the league's: no spot with five or more runs 15% above the league's share.
How this is measured
Every target with a charted depth and direction this season; sacks and throws with no charted direction are left out. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. Cells with fewer than three targets show no EPA.
On the field
By depth of target
Who he works withthe connection, and the rest of the huddle
By depth
Week by weekthe shape of his season, the game log and the defenses behind it
The game
at BengalsPaycor Stadium
The defense vs WR
a middle-of-the-pack matchup
His history
First meeting this season
His status
A middle-of-the-pack matchup: the Bengals rank 18th vs WR, allowing +0.26 EPA per target to wide receivers. He has averaged 8 yards a game against middle defenses this season.
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Snap | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs ATL W 20-13Did not play | |||||||
| 2 | at NE L 3-20Did not play | |||||||
| 3 | vs CIN W 30-27Did not play | |||||||
| 4 | at CLE L 24-27Did not play | |||||||
| 5 | vs IND W 34-2215th D | 15th vs WR | 27% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 6 | at TB W 26-191st D | 1st vs WR | 52% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 7 | at NO W 16-1012th D | 12th vs WR | 45% | 2 | 2 | 24 | +2.5 | |
| 8 | vs CLE W 27-616th D | 16th vs WR | 36% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 9 | Bye week | |||||||
| 10 | at CINSun Nov 15 · next up | |||||||
| 11 | at PHISun Nov 22 | |||||||
| 12 | vs DENFri Nov 27 | |||||||
| 13 | vs HOUSun Dec 6 | |||||||
| 14 | at JAXMon Dec 14 | |||||||
| 15 | vs BALSun Dec 20 | |||||||
| 16 | vs CARSun Dec 27 | |||||||
| 17 | at TENSun Jan 3 | |||||||
| 18 | at BALSun Jan 10 | |||||||
| 4 games | 40% | 2 | 2 | 24 | 0 | +2.5 |
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Tgt share | Air share | aDOT | YAC | EPA/tgt | 1D | Drops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs ATL W 20-13Did not play | ||||||||
| 2 | at NE L 3-20Did not play | ||||||||
| 3 | vs CIN W 30-27Did not play | ||||||||
| 4 | at CLE L 24-27Did not play | ||||||||
| 5 | vs IND W 34-2215th D | 15th vs WR | 0% | 0% | - | 0 | - | 0 | |
| 6 | at TB W 26-191st D | 1st vs WR | 0% | 0% | - | 0 | - | 0 | |
| 7 | at NO W 16-1012th D | 12th vs WR | 7% | 10% | 9.0 | 6 | +1.23 | 1 | |
| 8 | vs CLE W 27-616th D | 16th vs WR | 0% | 0% | - | 0 | - | 0 | |
| 9 | Bye week | ||||||||
| 10 | at CINSun Nov 15 · next up | ||||||||
| 11 | at PHISun Nov 22 | ||||||||
| 12 | vs DENFri Nov 27 | ||||||||
| 13 | vs HOUSun Dec 6 | ||||||||
| 14 | at JAXMon Dec 14 | ||||||||
| 15 | vs BALSun Dec 20 | ||||||||
| 16 | vs CARSun Dec 27 | ||||||||
| 17 | at TENSun Jan 3 | ||||||||
| 18 | at BALSun Jan 10 | ||||||||
| 4 games | 2% | 2% | 9.0 | 6 | +1.23 | 1 |
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs ATL W 20-13Did not play | ||||||
| 2 | at NE L 3-20Did not play | ||||||
| 3 | vs CIN W 30-27Did not play | ||||||
| 4 | at CLE L 24-27Did not play | ||||||
| 5 | vs IND W 34-2215th D | 15th vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 6 | at TB W 26-191st D | 1st vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 7 | at NO W 16-1012th D | 12th vs WR | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 1 | |
| 8 | vs CLE W 27-616th D | 16th vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 9 | Bye week | ||||||
| 10 | at CINSun Nov 15 · next up | ||||||
| 11 | at PHISun Nov 22 | ||||||
| 12 | vs DENFri Nov 27 | ||||||
| 13 | vs HOUSun Dec 6 | ||||||
| 14 | at JAXMon Dec 14 | ||||||
| 15 | vs BALSun Dec 20 | ||||||
| 16 | vs CARSun Dec 27 | ||||||
| 17 | at TENSun Jan 3 | ||||||
| 18 | at BALSun Jan 10 | ||||||
| 4 games | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | 1 |
Targets are steady: 0.7 a game over his last three against 0.5 for the season. 4 straight games below a starter's median in targets. Week 8 was his season low in yards.
How this is measured
Bars are his week. The shaded band is the league's middle half at his position, every qualifying player-game this season, and the dashed line is its median. The solid line is his trailing three games. An × on the baseline is a game his team played without him; a dotted tick is the bye.
He has faced the 1st-toughest slate vs WR: his opponents rank 11.0 of 32 on average (league middle 16.4). Ahead: 2 of his next 9 are top-10 vs WR and 4 are bottom-10, starting with the Bengals (18th, away) in Week 10.
The slate · played solid, ahead dashed
His line by defense faced
| Defenses | G | Tgt/g | Yds/g | EPA/tgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ranked 1 to 10Top-10 defenses | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | – |
| 11 to 22Middle | 3 | 0.7 | 8 | +1.23 |
| 23 to 32Bottom-10 | – | – | – | – |
| All games | 4 | 0.5 | 6 | +1.23 |
Yards against the rank of the defense
His production barely moves with the opponent (r = 0.10); it has traveled.
Careerseason by season, back to his rookie year
First season: 2 games in, 24 receiving yards, a 17-game pace of 204.
| Season | Team | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Y/R | Yds/g | EPA/tgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | PIT | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +1.23 |
| Career | 1 tm | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +1.23 |
How this is measured
Regular season only, from nflverse weekly stats back to 1999. This season is partial and drawn hollow; the pace is his per-game rate over 17 games. Bold cells are career highs.
Intel & playsthe report, his best snaps, his teammates
- Depth chart
- WR4 · 3WR 1TE
- Injury report
- clean
- Red zone touches
- …
- Third down
- …
- Explosive plays
- …
- Drops
- 0 on 2 targets
- Broken tackles
- 0
- Passer rating when targeted
- 116.7
- Play action
- …
- Contested
- …
| Player | Touches | Yds | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|
 Jaylen WarrenRB | 155 | 998 · 3 TD | +14.1 |
 DK MetcalfWR | 65 | 389 · 1 TD | -1.0 |
 Rico DowdleRB | 63 | 256 · 1 TD | -5.2 |
 Germie BernardWR | 43 | 288 · 1 TD | -1.3 |
 Pat FreiermuthTE | 39 | 240 · 5 TD | +16.0 |
 Darnell WashingtonTE | 28 | 254 · 3 TD | +8.3 |
 Roman WilsonWR | 25 | 188 · 2 TD | +6.3 |
 Aaron RodgersQB | 12 | 23 | -4.3 |