JuJu Smith-Schuster - Fantasy Points Outlook

Basic Stats

WR PIT

#42 Wide Receiver

123 Projected Points

ADP: Not Available

Bye: 7

Experience: 4 Yr(s)

Age: 24

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 220

40 Time: 4.54

Weekly Outlook

Week 8 Projections

This player does not have a weekly prediction

Rest Of Way Outlook

Week 4
It was an incredibly underwhelming week for Smith-Schuster, who was 2nd on the team with 8 targets. He caught just 2 passes for 11 yards.

Going forward, Smith-Schuster is going to be a frustration for those who start him. He has seen 7 or more targets in 3 of 4 games but produced just 129 yards total with more than 50 yards in just 1 of those games.

With QB Ben Roethlisberger struggling to get time in the pocket, Smith-Schuster seems to be getting the biggest ding to production. He is someone to deploy only when you are scrambling.

Week 2
After playing 91% of the snaps in Week 1, Smith-Schuster followed that up with a 96% snap share this week. Although he ended up behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool with 7 targets, he was given a rushing attempt on a jet sweep that he turned into a 3-yard TD run. Otherwise, it was the same low yardage per catch version of Smith-Schuster we saw last year. Although he caught 6 of 7 targets, he was just under 7 yards per reception.

With a likely consistent target share, he’ll continue to be a fair option in PPR leagues, where he’ll likely catch between 4 and 8 passes in most games. However, his upside is limited by his general inability to make big plays, and he’ll also likely be the least used Pittsburgh receiver in the red zone. It’s possible that even Najee Harris and the TEs (Eric Ebron and Pat Freiermuth) see more targets in the red zone. So as long as fantasy managers are looking for floor, he’ll continue to be a decent fantasy option.

Preseason Player Analysis

What You Need to Know:

Last year, Smith-Schuster played all 16 games for the 2nd time in the past 3 seasons. He rolled up 97-831-9 on 128 targets (19.6% target share).
That was enough for him to finish as the WR16, although he finished as a top-12 WR only 3 times.
His 17 red zone targets were topped by only 5 WRs. He saw 22.4% of Pittsburgh’s RZ pass attempts, just ahead of Eric Ebron’s tally (21.1%).
He benefited from Pittsburgh’s pass-heavy approach. The team finished 2nd in pass rate; 1st in pass attempts.
JuJu’s average depth of target stood at just 6 yards for a conservative pass offense under Ben Roethlisberger. That was the lowest figure among 84 WRs with 50+ targets.
That explains JuJu’s healthy 77% catch rate. He played from the slot on a career-high 85.3% of his pass snaps, a theme that should repeat.
He caught just 4 of 10 targets that traveled 20+ air yards.
In 2021, the Steelers return Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and Eric Ebron. Pat Freiermuth arrived as a Round 2 pick and should carve out a small role right away.
Most importantly, Pittsburgh’s Round 1 selection of Najee Harris says they want to commit to a balanced approach under new OC Matt Canada.
Roethlisberger, 39, brings 4 years worth of chemistry alongside Smith-Schuster — but also durability risk. He missed all but 2 games in 2019 before undergoing right elbow surgery.
An unproven and potentially league-worse O-line would keep JuJu busy on quick-hitters. 15% of his targets came on screens a year ago.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line

JuJu rebounded from an awful 2019 to finish as the WR16 in PPR (WR23 in non-PPR). With only 8.6 YPC, though, it took a high-volume pass offense (and 128 targets) to get there.

The arrival of Najee Harris brings the potential to drastically bring down this unit’s pass volume. We don’t see an attractive fantasy ceiling here.

Recent Shark Bites View All Shark Bites »

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster underwent shoulder surgery on Sunday night and will miss the remainder of the 2021 season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Smith-Schuster is set to hit free agency next offseason after inking a 1-year deal with Pittsburgh back in March. His absence the rest of this season will make WR Chase Claypool a safer weekly target bet. WR Diontae Johnson, of course, will continue to see plenty of volume.

View all JuJu Smith-Schuster Shark Bites »

The Steelers are expected to place WR JuJu Smith-Schuster on IR and fear he may miss the rest of the season with the shoulder injury that knocked him out of Sunday's win over the Broncos, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. With James Washington already out, Ray-Ray McCloud got 52% playing time vs. Denver, behind only Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool at the position. More of a slot player than Johnson, Claypool or Washington, McCloud could continue to see significant playing time for as long as Smith-Schuster is out. We'll see about Washington's status heading into Week 6. We'll also see about the specific diagnosis on Smith-Schuster's shoulder.

View all JuJu Smith-Schuster Shark Bites »

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster injured his shoulder in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos and is questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.

Update: Smith-Schuster has been ruled out.

View all JuJu Smith-Schuster Shark Bites »

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ribs) isn’t listed on the final injury report and will play vs. the Packers on Sunday. His target projection gets a boost if WR Chase Claypool sits with his hamstring injury.

View all JuJu Smith-Schuster Shark Bites »

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ribs) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. Dealing with bruised ribs, JuJu figures to play vs. the Packers this weekend. But check back tomorrow for another update.

View all JuJu Smith-Schuster Shark Bites »

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