Fantasy Football Player Notes

Johnson is in the concussion protocol after a hard hit in Week 3, but he'll get an extra week to recover after the Steelers' game against the Titans in Week 4 was postponed. There's nothing to suggest that Johnson's availability is threatened for Week 5, so for now, those rostering him appear to have dodged a bullet.

Smith-Schuster saw only six targets against the Giants but caught all six and turned two of them into touchdowns. Although Ben Roethlisberger looked rusty to start, once he found his groove, the entire Steelers offense looked strong, including Smith-Schuster. He looks likely to justify his status as a borderline WR1 coming into the season, with upside for even more.

Snell Jr. went back to his role as a backup in Week 2 with James Conner healthy. He showed in Week 1 that he can carry the load if necessary, but so long as Conner is healthy, Snell will be just a high-end backup.

Conner continues to produce each and every week. He may dominate from a yards-per-carry average at every turn, but he gets plenty of goal-line looks on a team that often plays from ahead. He's a locked-in strong RB2.

Throw out everything that happened for any Steelers receiver in 2019. The combination of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges would (and did) sink any pass-catcher they came across. With Ben Roethlisberger back under center, there's some optimism as a vertical threat, but he's certainly been passed by Diontae Johnson in terms of "breakout Steelers receivers." With Chase Claypool also in tow, Washington's chances of fantasy relevancy seem dim, and he's more of a "handcuff" receiver to Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Samuels has received just 122 carries in his first two seasons, and although he can factor in as a receiver at times, he doesn't have a path to regular playing time. Even if James Conner deals with injuries again, Benny Snell Jr. and Anthony McFarland Jr. stand in Samuels' way. He's relevant only in extremely deep PPR leagues and barely so even there.