Smith (undisclosed) isn't practicing Wednesday, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith left Tuesday's practice early, further depleting the Saints' already-thin WR corps. Michael Thomas (ankle) won't be ready for the early part of the regular season, so Smith could be the No. 1 receiver once he recovers from whatever the current issue is. The Saints haven't provided any information yet.

Smith was forced out of Tuesday's practice early with an unspecified issue, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The report notes that Smith was walking under his own power afterward, but the wideout's status will still need to be monitored in the coming days. Assuming Smith's injury isn't anything long-term, the 25-year-old appears poised to see an expanded role early on this season, with top option Michael Thomas recovering from an ankle injury and likely to miss time out of the gate.

Smith should step into a bigger role early on during the upcoming season with Michael Thomas (ankle) expected to miss at least the first four games, Mike Triplett of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Despite an inconsistent beginning to his professional career, Smith reportedly is secure in his role as the No. 2 receiver behind Thomas, and the fact that Thomas is set to miss some time means that Smith will serve as the Saints' de facto No. 1 wideout in the short term. Even though Alvin Kamara will remain the focal point of the passing game overall, it's not a stretch to think that Smith could begin the season by at least doubling the average number of targets he saw per game (3.6) last season.

Smith seems poised to start at wide receiver in 2021, Katherine Terrell of the Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

After releasing incumbent No. 2 wideout Emmanuel Sanders this offseason, New Orleans surprised some people by ignoring wide receivers during the early rounds of last weekend's NFL Draft. By instead waiting until the seventh round to merely add Kawaan Baker out of South Alabama, the Saints appear content with Smith as the second option behind Michael Thomas while a slew of undrafted holdovers (Juwan Johnson, Deonte Harris, Lil'Jordan Humphrey) duke it out for tertiary roles. However, potential fantasy investors will need to keep tabs on who will be throwing Smith passes this fall, as the speedster figures to have a much different outlook with the strong-armed Jameis Winston (who tossed Smith a 56-yard bomb in Week 17 of last season) under center than he would with dual-threat quarterback Taysom Hill.

Smith (ankle) was activated from injured reserve prior to Sunday's contest, cashing in on all three of his targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-20 divisional round loss to Tampa Bay.

EDGE Analysis

Smith had missed the Saints previous four contests with a bad ankle, and while his team took the loss, the downfield threat produced his best statistical performance of the season upon his return. Michael Thomas (zero catches) was keyed in on by the Buccaneers' defense, allowing the 24-year-old to take advantage of single coverage when he was called upon. The majority of his damage was done on a trick play in which backup quarterback, Jameis Winston, took the top off of the secondary and connected with the speedy wideout on a 50-yard bomb. Drew Brees simply doesn't have the arm strength at his advanced age to generate big plays like that for Smith, so it will actually hurt the receiver's fantasy value if the Hall of Famer decides to continue playing next year. However, If New Orleans has a new quarterback under center in 2021, and said signal caller can stretch the field the way we saw Winston do Sunday, then Smith could begin to gain traction as a fantasy asset, as he consistently sits atop the team's yards per reception rankings, finishing with a mark of 13.2 this year even with a declining Brees starting for most of the season.

Smith (ankle) has been activated from injured reserve by the Saints.

EDGE Analysis

Smith is thus available for Sunday's divisional-round contest against the Buccaneers. In his first game action since Week 15, look for Smith to work alongside Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders in the Saints' three-receiver sets. In 14 regular-season outings, Smith caught 34 of his 50 targets for 448 yards and four TDs.

The Saints designated Smith (ankle) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith has been on IR since Week 15 but returned to practice Wednesday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. Depending on how much he's able to do at practice, the Saints could opt to fully activate Smith from IR in time for Sunday's divisional-round matchup against Tampa Bay. That would put New Orleans' receiver corps at full strength, with Smith lining up alongside Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders in three-wide sets.

Smith (ankle) could be ready to return for the NFC divisional round, per teammate Deonte Harris, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith has been on IR since Week 15. The receiver will need to be removed from IR in order to suit up, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Smith rejoin his teammates in practice this week in light of Harris' comments after the team's win over the Bears in the wild-card round. More light on Smith's status should be shed once the Saints begin their upcoming week of practice.

The Saints placed Smith (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday, Larry Holder of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

While the Saints haven't commented on the severity of the right ankle injury Smith sustained Week 15 against the Chiefs, his placement on IR confirms that he'll require a multi-week recovery. Per Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Smith posted a photograph on his social media Wednesday featuring himself in what appeared to be a doctor's office with his ankle heavily bandaged, suggesting that the wideout may have needed surgery. In any case, with Smith officially shut down for the final two games of the regular season, he'll finish his third NFL campaign with 34 receptions for 448 yards and four touchdowns over his 14 appearances.

The Saints ruled Smith (ankle) out for Friday's game against the Vikings.

EDGE Analysis

Smith wasn't able to practice Tuesday through Thursday after injuring his right ankle in last weekend's loss to the Chiefs, making it an easy decision for the Saints to rule him out for the Week 16 game. According to Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Smith posted a photograph on social media Wednesday featuring his ankle heavily taped up, which could point toward a multi-game absence. For now, the Saints haven't commented on Smith's status beyond ruling him out for the Christmas Day game.