Week 5 vs Broncos
Like Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster came back from injury last week against the Packers. Unlike Johnson, Smith-Schuster was near invisible. The good news is he saw eight targets, still making him a favorite in Ben Roethlisberger's eyes. The bad news is he came away with just two catches for 11 yards. His usage makes him at least flex-worthy each week (57/60 snaps in Week 4) but Sunday is an example of the inconsistency we tend to see from Smith-Schuster.
Week 3 vs Bengals
As much as some may have wanted to overlook JuJu Smith-Schuster, he's still a major factor in the Pittsburgh offense. He played all but two snaps in Week 2 and saw a solid seven targets, catching six of them against the Raiders. He's second on the team for the season with 15 targets, one more than Chase Claypool. JuJu and Claypool feel like 2A and 2B rather than 2 and 3 on the pecking order. Smith-Schuster has weekly flex appeal as long as Pittsburgh is going to constantly keep him on the field.
Week 2 vs Raiders
Snap counts are certainly a big factor in viewing a player and JuJu is still a favorite in Pittsburgh. 53 out of 58 snaps for him in Week 1, nine more than Diontae Johnson and 14 more than Chase Claypool. JuJu took less money to stay in Pittsburgh and we can see why. Big Ben still likes throwing to JuJu and JuJu can still shine in this offense. He'll have weeks where he's in the lead role. Perhaps Week 2 could be that first week. As long as he keeps getting targets, which shouldn't be a concern, JuJu is going to keep proving people wrong and outperforming his valued price.
Week 1 at Bills
Smith-Schuster took less money to stay with the Steelers, but it's hard to argue with him doing so. He saw 128 targets and still had a strong connection with Ben Roethlisberger and still had a top-20 fantasy finish among wide receivers in 2020. Folks have seemed to sour a bit on him, which is a bit understandable with how the rest of the offense looks. But there is plenty of opportunity here for JuJu to still be one of the trustworthy receivers in Pittsburgh after catching 97 passes in 2020 and had a 6/55/1 line in Buffalo last season.
Fantasy Upside
Despite having offers for more money from other teams, JuJu Smith-Schuster decided to stay with the Steelers for 2021. He's coming off leading the Steelers in receptions (97) and tied for the team lead with nine touchdowns. He was third in receiving yards (831). Smith-Schuster was one of the Steelers' focal points when the team got into the red zone, scoring six of his nine touchdowns from the red zone.
Fantasy Downside
It's fair to wonder about the long-term future of Smith-Schuster in Pittsburgh and how he'll continue to mix in with Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. For a bit, it felt like Smith-Schuster wasn't even going to return to Pittsburgh, but he took less money to stay with the team. It's also fair to argue he has the least upside of the three Steelers wide receivers, though he was second on the team in targets in 2020.
2021 Bottom Line
Smith-Schuster will hope to improve on an 8.6 yards per catch rate in 2020, but being effectively behind Johnson and Claypool limits Smith-Schuster's ceiling. He's being drafted as a WR3/Flex near the end of round six, or early-round seven.
Week 17 vs Browns
JuJu came up huge when the Steelers needed him last week. Nine catches, 96 yards and a touchdown to help the Steelers clinch the AFC North in Week 16 against the Colts. But now the Steelers have their eyes toward the playoffs and are resting players, including Ben Roethlisberger. Between the drop at quarterback and the continued logjam at wide receiver, JuJu is just inside our top 50 receivers for the week. Also always the chance he gets pulled during the game.
Week 16 vs Colts
This is what can happen when you overlook an opponent and worry more about Tik Tok than a football game. JuJu undoubtedly let fantasy owners down with just 15 yards. He's still effectively the WR2 in Pittsburgh behind Diontae Johnson. He's been on the field much more than Chase Claypool, giving him more chances. The Colts have been a solid defense all season, however, but the Steelers really need to bounce back as they fight for a division title. Perhaps moving past dancing on logos will get JuJu back on track in the nick of time.
Week 15 vs Bengals
As a result of Diontae Johnson seeing less playing time due to drops, JuJu played all 57 snaps against the Bills, caught six passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. He has scored in four of the last six games but is still yet to crack 100 yards in a game this season. JuJu did have 77 yards on nine catches and a touchdown in Week 10 against Cincinnati.
Week 14 vs Bills
The good news: JuJu gets plenty of targets and plenty of catches. The bad news: the yardage isn't always there. He has 15 catches (19 targets) over the last two games. But that has only produced 65 yards. Couple that with Buffalo having a stout passing defense, and JuJu could make fantasy owners sweat a bit on Sunday night. He's in the WR4/Flex range this week.
Week 13 vs Washington
JuJu hasn't had the best of years with receiving yards. He has just 56 in the last two games. But when it comes to crunch time and clutch moments, Ben Roethlisberger tends to find JuJu, just like he did Wednesday against the Ravens. If it's a close game against Washington late, look for Roethlisberger to look in Smith-Schuster's direction.
