New York JetsOur read
Written Oct 18, from his facts through last season
Two games, zero points, one target. That is the entire 2026 season so far, and it ended at week 2 of 2026, when he went to IR. He plays no game while he sits there, and our board ranks him below every available receiver at the position, so the roster spot he occupies is worth more empty. He did not play in weeks 3, 4 and 5 of 2026 either, three straight weeks gone.
The deeper issue is that even a healthy Arian Smith was never producing. In 2025 he ran a 38.3% snap share but pulled only a 3.6% target share, finished WR172 among 240 qualifying receivers at 1.0 points a game, and got zero red-zone touches. He cleared 15 points in 0 of his 13 played weeks in 2025, and even his best week was 3.3 points back in week 8 of 2025. The Jets gave Garrett Wilson 34% and Mason Taylor 18% of the 2025 targets, 52% between them, and the coaching staff of Aaron Glenn and Tanner Engstrand carries over unchanged. Receivers in his spot historically lose close to a point a game the following year, which shaves an already thin outlook further. Our preseason number was 59 points at a 4.5 pace, and we expected just 5.5 team wins behind a 3-win offense.
There is nothing here worth a stash, and he is buried sixth on the depth chart behind Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Omar Cooper Jr. when he returns. We would drop him now and find a live option. Even his late-season stretch in weeks 15 to 17 of 2026 is not a reason to wait.