Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) is active for tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Chiefs. We'd be surprised if he played anything close to a full slate of snaps in his first action since early October.
Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster announced Friday that he's signing with the Chiefs. He should face little competition -- at least among what's currently rostered -- for the #2 wideout position. That hasn't been a high-upside role with Andy Reid's Chiefs, though. No K.C. WR besides Tyreek Hill has finished higher than 47th in the PPR rankings since 2015. That #47 finish came last year from Mecole Hardman, who should lose some target share to Smith-Schuster. WR Byron Pringle's departure for Chicago leaves some targets available, but he drew just 8.9% of the looks last year. We'd bet on Smith-Schuster overtaking Hardman as the team's 2nd-most targeted wideout. The landing spot should boost the average target depth for Smith-Schuster after that number dwindled to 5.5 and 6.5 yards the past 2 seasons. He was at 8.8 and 9.7 his 1st 2 years in the league. The Chiefs also like to move their WRs around. So we'd bet on Smith-Schuster coming down from the 80+% of time he spent in the slot the past 2 seasons. He's also likely to jump up the ADP charts with the K.C. landing, so be wary of overpaying in best-ball drafts going forward.
The Steelers have activated WR JuJu Smith-Schuster from IR, making him eligible to play in Sunday's game against the Chiefs. He had previously said he'd take part. It's tough to know just how much we can expect, though, from a guy who is coming off October shoulder surgery. Smith-Schuster is no more than a fringe fantasy football consideration for what will likely be Pittsburgh's lone playoff game.
Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) returned to practice on Thursday. He's been out since suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5 that required surgery. He was supposed to miss the rest of the season and still seems like a big long shot to play vs. the Chiefs this weekend. But we'll keep an eye on him.
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.
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.
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