Week 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
JuJu Smith had a nice day against one of his former teams and now gets a chance to face his other former team. After reaching 90 yards against the Steelers, Smith-Schuster now gets the Chiefs. However, he is a little banged up and the wide receiver is getting very crowded again — not that they are all exciting anyway. Maybe JuJu finds lightning in a bottle twice in a row, but do you want to risk your fantasy playoffs on that chance?
Week 10 vs. Indianapolis Colts (Germany)
JuJu Smith-Schuster looks healthy again. He saw seven targets last week against Washington and had six catches for 51 yards, his best performance of the season and his first double-digit fantasy output. The quarterback play is certainly limiting the offense, so Smith-Schuster has a limited fantasy ceiling. He's a deep flex option this week in an okay matchup against the Colts in Germany.
Week 1 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
After one season in Kansas City, JuJu Smith-Schuster now brings his talents to the northeast and will try to be a reliable pass-catcher for Mac Jones as the Patriots try to do something in the passing game and make something of their quarterback. This is still a run-heavy team so opportunities won’t be as present for the group of receivers New England has, but Smith-Schuster is arguably the best of the bunch. Either him or DeVante Parker will get the call. Either way, it’s a bit of dice roll early on until we see what this offense can do. Oh, and they face Darius Slay and James Bradberry Week 1. Quite the challenge.
Fantasy Upside
JuJu Smith-Schuster got a deal worth $11 million and is now at least among the top options in the passing game for the Patriots alongside DeVante Parker, who got a similar deal to stay in New England. Smith-Schuster should be a serviceable wide receiver for the Patriots and take over the role once held by Jakobi Meyers, who is now a Raider.
Fantasy Downside
Smith-Schuster isn't a wide receiver that's going to boast huge numbers. He'll be a flex option at best. He didn't post great numbers last season and that was in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the football. Now, it's Mac Jones. Needless to say, there's a major gap in talent there. New England also will focus on the running backs on offense, so Smith-Schuster's ceiling is capped.
2023 Bottom Line
Smith-Schuster could be a fine WR3/Flex option, but that's about as good as it's going to get with him. If he does get the Jakobi Meyers role, at least he'll have a chance to catch some passes -- Meyers caught 67 passes on 96 targets for 804 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Week 17 vs. Denver Broncos
JuJu Smith-Schuster had a nice stretch of games, but he didn't show up last week. Smith-Schuster finished with just three receptions for 27 yards on four targets. He was still the Chiefs' most productive wide receiver in the game, though, but Patrick Mahomes simply favored Travis Kelce and his running backs more in Week 16. We'll see if Smith-Schuster can bounce back in Week 17 against the Broncos. When Smith-Schuster faced Denver a few weeks ago, he finished 9-74-1 on 11 targets. It's hard to trust Smith-Schuster given last week's production, plus on paper this should be a tough matchup. But he's still a mid-tier WR2 option for Week 17.
Week 16 vs. Seattle Seahawks
JuJu Smith-Schuster tied Travis Kelce last week for the team lead in targets (10) and finished with a solid game of 10 receptions for 88 yards (although he did lose a fumble). Smith-Schuster had a minor slump as he recovered from an injury, but he's started to produce again with 19 total receptions in his last two games. Although he could struggle a bit this week as he draws a tough matchup against a Seahawks defense allowed the third-fewest average fantasy points to wide receivers this season. We're not too worried with the matchup considering Patrick Mahomes' ability, but it is a bit concerning. Smith-Schuster can be viewed as a mid-tier WR2 option for Week 16.
Week 15 at Houston Texans
JuJu Smith-Schuster certainly got his groove back last week as he led the team with 11 targets, finishing 9-74-1. It was a nice game considering Smith-Schuster had struggled recently after suffering an injury in Week 10. He had three straight games where he finished between 30-40 receiving yards, which was a far cry from the production he was putting up before. We'll see if Smith-Schuster can continue his production in another tough matchup this week against the Texans (2nd aFPA). Smith-Schuster should be viewed as a mid-tier WR2 option for Week 15.
Week 14 at Denver Broncos
JuJu Smith-Schuster was OK last week, finishing 3-35 on four targets. Smith-Schuster got on a hot streak at one point in the season, but hasn't been able to find his groove again. In his last three games, Smith-Schuster has finished with 33 yards, 38 yards and 35 yards with no touchdowns. One bright side is Smith-Schuster logged 76% of the offensive snaps last week, which is an increase from the 38% he saw the two games prior as he dealt with an injury. Smith-Schuster could struggle to find production again, though, as he'll draw a brutal matchup against the Broncos (9th aFPA) in Week 14. Smith-Schuster should be viewed as a low-tier WR2 option vs. Denver.
Week 13 at Cincinnati Bengals
JuJu Smith-Schuster returned to the Chiefs' lineup last week, although it was a modest outing. Smith-Schuster finished 3-38 on three targets. His low production was partly due to him being limited in the game as he only played on 38% of the offensive snaps. He typically saw 80% or more in games where he was healthy this season. Smith-Schuster should get back to normal in Week 13 in a solid matchup vs. the Bengals (21st aFPA). Before his injury, Smith-Schuster was finding his groove in this offense, and if he can get back to that production then he'll deliver some great value. As of now he should be viewed as a mid-tier WR2 for Week 13.
Week 12 vs. Los Angeles Rams
JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) was inactive last week, but he's been practicing in full ahead of Week 12 so he's likely to return. The Chiefs need him back as Mecole Hardman (IR) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) are likely out. Before his injury, Smith-Schuster was starting to come around for the Chiefs with 325 receiving yards in his three games prior to his injury. He may not reach the 100-yard mark again, but he should have a productive afternoon in Week 12 in an OK matchup vs. the Rams (15th aFPA). Smith-Schuster should be viewed as a mid-tier WR2 this week.
