Coach Andy Reid said Steve Smith has been working in with the starters during practice. We've learned to take everything Reid says with a grain of salt. Smith may be getting some reps in with the "1s," but he's not expected to have a major role early in the season. This is just confirmation that Smith will eventually challenge Jason Avant for the slot gig.

According to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News, Steve Smith (knee) will have a "very limited" package of plays to enter the season. It's as we suspected. Smith just returned to practice and isn't close to 100 percent. He's also still learning the Eagles offense while facing an uphill battle for snaps in three-wide sets with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant locked in. Smith carries no early-season fantasy value.

Eagles coach Andy Reid hinted Monday that Steve Smith (knee) is unlikely to be ready for Week 1. Reid said Smith "might be a little longer," while confirming he expects Jeremy Maclin (illness) to be available against the Rams. Smith resumed practicing Saturday and will not begin the season on the PUP list. That's all good news, but his role is very much up in the air as a No. 4 receiver at best coming off major knee surgery. He isn't worth a roster spot in 12-team leagues.

Steve Smith (knee surgery) said he thinks he'll be able to play in Week 1. Smith returned to practice Saturday, making him ineligible for the PUP list and sending a clear signal that the Eagles expect an early-season contribution. Still, the Eagles have a ton of faith in team leader Jason Avant as their slot receiver, so Smith is not a lock for significant snaps. Consider the ex-Giant as more of an in-season waiver add than a draft day prospect.

Steve Smith (knee surgery) made his Eagles' practice debut on Saturday. It's a huge step, as Smith said as recently as last week that he wasn't likely to begin practicing until Week 1. The move also means he cannot begin the season on the PUP list, which in turn means the Eagles are likely expecting him to be ready early on, perhaps even in Week 1. He's still an extremely risky fantasy proposition, but he'll become fairly intriguing if his early practice reviews are good.

Steve Smith (knee surgery) said Monday that he expects to start practicing maybe during Week 1. Smith is merely confirming an earlier timetable set by coach Andy Reid. If he is going to practice during Week 1, that gives him three weeks from today to get ready. Of course, he'd still have to get in game shape and develop a level of trust with Michael Vick. An impact early in the season is highly unlikely, even if Jeremy Maclin (undisclosed illness) isn't ready.

Eagles placed WR Steve Smith (recovery from knee surgery) on the active/PUP list. The Philadelphia Inquirer seconds a recent Adam Schefter report that the Eagles are not anticipating Smith remaining on the PUP list once the regular season begins. Despite all the optimism coming out of Eagles camp, Smith currently isn't worth the risk in fantasy drafts.

Coach Andy Reid estimated that Steve Smith (knee) won't be ready to practice for three or four weeks. Reid's timetable is even more optimistic than the one given by Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Assuming Smith has no setbacks with his knee, he could be practicing by the start of the regular season. We remain skeptical that Smith will stay healthy and effective this season.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin estimated to New York reporters Thursday that Steve Smith (knee) would be ready to practice in 4-6 weeks. That's assuming no setbacks, which is a fairly weighty assumption in Smith's case. If the Giants did believe Smith would be ready to practice by mid-September, perhaps they should have come with a stronger offer rather than bemoaning the fact that Smith's camp didn't give them a chance to match Philly's $2 million in guarantees. As long as Coughlin's estimation is correct, Smith has a decent chance to avoid the PUP list.

The Eagles do not expect Steve Smith (knee) to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. We've got some ESPN-on-ESPN crime going on here. Chris Mortensen reported last night that Eagles doctors believe Smith could be ready by mid-October. If that's the case, putting him on PUP is the obvious move. But now Schefter says that the Eagles "expect Smith to contribute early." Until we actually see Smith and his surgically repaired knee string together some practices, we're siding with Mort here and leaving the ex-Giant off our draft boards.