Week 10 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
JuJu Smith Schuster benefitted from the Chiefs' 68 pass attempts last week as he finished 10-88 on a season-high 12 targets. Smith-Schuster has really started to excel over the past three games, averaging 7.3 receptions for 108.3 yards with two total touchdowns. He should continue to play well heading into Week 10 as he draws a favorable matchup against the Jaguars (28th aFPA). Given the matchup and his recent hot streak, Smith-Schuster can be viewed as a low-end WR1 this week.
Week 9 vs. Tennessee Titans
JuJu Smith-Schuster is finally starting to come alive in this Chiefs offense. Before Kansas City's bye week, Smith-Schuster finished 7-124-1, a week after finishing 5-113-1. Both games are his only games this season with a touchdown or 100 yards. Before those games, he was averaging just 51.4 yards. Smith-Schuster will look to keep up his high production as he draws a favorable matchup against the Titans in Week 9. Tennessee is 6th in aFPA to WRs this season. With Smith-Schuster riding a hot streak into a favorable matchup (off a bye, no less) he should be viewed as a strong WR2 play this week.
Week 7 at San Francisco 49ers
JuJu Smith-Schuster finally found the end zone last week in what was easily his most productive game of the season. Smith-Schuster finished 5-113-1 (his 113 yards being a season high) on five targets in a tough matchup against the Bills. His stat line was highlighted by a 42-yard score where he managed to break free for a great play after the catch. He'll get another tough matchup this week against the 49ers, who have allowed the 5th-fewest average fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. But matchups aren't too much of a concern when Patrick Mahomes is the QB. JJSS should still be a solid option, especially in PPR formats. He should be viewed as a strong WR3 play in Week 7.
Week 6 vs. Buffalo Bills
JuJu Smith-Schuster tied with two other players as the team leader in targets last week with eight. Although he wasn't as productive as the others, finishing 3-33-0. Fantasy managers were hoping Smith-Schuster would recapture his magic from 2018 when he averaged nearly 90 yards a game. Instead, he looks more like his post-AB self, averaging 4.4 receptions for 51.4 yards with no touchdowns on the year. Smith-Schuster should be viewed as a mid-tier WR3 option as he heads into a tough Week 6 matchup against the Bills, who have allowed the 6th-fewest average fantasy points to wide receivers.
Week 5 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
JuJu Smith-Schuster led all Chiefs WRs in targets again last week (8) as he finished 5-46. JJSS has seen eight targets in three of his four games this season, but he's not doing a whole lot with his 56.0 yards per game. He also hasn't scored a touchdown all season. The good news is he's been fairly reliable, so you know what you're getting when you put him in your lineup. But for now his ceiling seems fairly limited. He gets a good matchup this week vs. the Raiders, so he shouldn't struggle. But we wouldn't expect anything crazy out of him. We project him to continue his production as a safe lower-end WR3 play.
Week 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
JuJu Smith-Schuster tied Travis Kelce for the most targets on the team last week (8) finishing 5-89. JJSS is off to an OK start for the Chiefs, averaging 4.7 receptions and 59.3 yards through three games. Unfortunately he hasn't found the end zone yet, which is troubling for a high-powered offense like the Chiefs. But the rest of his production has been pretty solid as a somewhat reliable WR4 option. That's about where we have him projected heading into Week 4, although he does draw a tough matchup vs. the Bucs.
Week 3 at Indianapolis Colts
After a solid Week 1, JuJu Smith-Schuster had a letdown performance in Week 2, finishing 3-10 on three targets. It's not promising JJSS saw just three of Patrick Mahomes' 35 pass attempts, but he did have eight targets in Week 1. This is simply the nature of this new Chiefs offense, where they look to spread the ball around a bit more. Likely the only reliable receiving threat in this offense will be Travis Kelce. JJSS will probably be the next most reliable option, but be prepared for a couple of duds throughout the year. He has a chance at a productive game in Week 3 in a decent matchup vs. the Colts. He should be viewed as a strong WR3 play.
Week 2 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
JuJu Smith-Schuster saw a solid eight targets (led all Chiefs WRs) and finished 6-79-0 in Week 1. Although he had a lost fumble, as well. Still, it's a nice outing for JJSS, especially in PPR leagues. It's a little upsetting for fantasy owners that he didn't end up with one of Patrick Mahomes' five touchdowns, but the eight targets should be encouraging enough for his future. JJSS gets a nice matchup in Week 2 against the Chargers who just gave up a big performance (141 yards) to Davante Adams. We aren't expecting him to repeat Adams, but he is in a nice position to produce in a game between two high-powered offense. He should be looked at as a solid WR2 play this week.
Week 1 at Arizona Cardinals
JuJu Smith-Schuster will replace Tyreek Hill as the No. 1 WR in this offense, but don't expect the same type of production. As we saw in the preseason, and as Patrick Mahomes has stated, this new Chiefs offense will be more balanced as opposed to constantly throwing to Hill or Travis Kelce. But Smith-Schuster doesn't need to replicate Hill to be a viable fantasy option. He's a talented WR with a 1,400-yard season on his resume. In Week 1 he'll face a Cardinals defense that gave up the 5th-most average fantasy points to WRs a season ago. He should be viewed as a solid WR3 option for Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
JuJu Smith-Schuster joined arguably the best offense in the NFL when he signed with the Chiefs this offseason. He also joined a team that lost its No. 1 WR in Tyreek Hill, who had 159 targets last season, 7th-most in the league. Smith-Schuster showcased what he could do with a high number of targets when he had 166 of them in 2018 and finished 111-1426-7. Now he gets a big upgrade at quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. He had injury issues last year, but the year before he finished as WR17. With Mahomes in the mix, the potential is there for him to finish as a top-15 WR this year.
Fantasy Downside
Smith-Schuster’s name carries weight because of his 2018 season, but he’s had three fairly disappointing years in a row since. He went from averaging nearly 90 yards per game in 2018 to 46.0, 51.9 and 25.8 in the seasons after. Smith-Schuster will need to see a lot of targets in order to get consistent production, and that may be difficult for him in 2022. In the past, the Chiefs primarily utilized Hill and didn’t get other receivers involved as consistently. But this year will likely be different as Kansas City also brought in Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who is actually making more money than Smith-Schuster this season. The Chiefs also drafted Skyy Moore in the 2nd round, and we can’t forget about Travis Kelce who will likely lead the team in the targets.
2022 Bottom Line
Smith-Schuster did deal with injuries last season, but he also wasn’t very productive when he was active. He had a 53.6% catch percentage, which would have placed him outside the top 200 receivers. He also finished with no touchdowns while averaging 25.8 yards per game. If he can get back to his 2018 self, he could end up being a legitimate threat. But it seems as if fantasy managers are already anticipating that as his WR27 ADP is above 4for4’s positional rankings. Smith-Schuster offers some promise, but fantasy managers shouldn’t just expect him to step in and replace Hill.
