Although Andy Reid complimented Brashard Smith’s route running and speed, Overzet is pumping the brakes on the Round 7 rookie (ADP 201.1, Super Model 65). Kansas City historically slow-plays rookies and Smith sits behind Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and Elijah Mitchell for early-down work. The best-case path is a vacated Samaje Perine-style receiving role, but Overzet fears Smith will deliver zeros for most of the season. He already owns 8.4 % (largely via co-managed drafts) and plans to stop clicking the name until clearer preseason usage emerges.

Davis Mattek explained why he pivoted to Brashard Smith instead of taking a 10th wide receiver in Underdog’s Best Ball Mania. Mattek said Rich Rebar ‘gave him permission’ to start clicking Smith and that the rookie handcuff offers a much higher payoff than the dusty WRs left on the board. His logic: 28-year-old Joe Mixon is an obvious injury candidate, and there is a non-zero chance second-year Chase Brown simply face-plants. If either scenario hits, Smith could suddenly step into a touchdown-rich workload in half-PPR scoring—upside you will never get from a waiver-wire tier wideout. Mattek urged drafters to sprinkle Smith into their hyper-fragile builds as an inexpensive out that can tilt playoff weeks.

Sam Monson argued that seventh-rounder Brashard Smith could become much more than a gadget back for Kansas City. The former SMU wide receiver has only one collegiate season at running back but already flashes every-down traits: soft natural hands, 4.38-speed verified at his pro day, and the lateral quickness to exploit Andy Reid’s jet-sweep and misdirection packages. Monson noted film where the 195-pound Smith lowered his pads and ran over a 235-pound Duke linebacker, evidence that he can finish inside rather than just bounce plays outside. With Isaiah Pacheco entering year three and Kansas City lacking a true passing-down specialist, Monson sees Smith carving out a third-down role early with room to grow into 30–40% snap share if injuries strike. Deep-league season-long managers and best-ball players should take free-square exposure now before preseason hype builds.