JuJu Smith-Schuster

After being viewed as the consensus Dynasty WR1 just a couple of years ago, Smith-Schuster has taken a free fall down rankings recently. After putting up underwhelming numbers in 2020, Juju only signed a very small deal in free agency to remain in Pittsburgh. Everything that this team has done this off-season signals that Juju might be in for another down year, unfortunately. With the addition of Harris in the first round, this team should return to a more balanced approach and Harris will take away some work as a receiver out of the backfield. Additionally, the selection of Freiermuth in the second round indicates that this team could be moving towards more of a 12-personnel approach with Matt Canada now at OC. This effectively takes Juju off the field as the slot receiver, therefore limiting his fantasy projections. Juju will still have weeks of being fantasy relevant, but he fits more as a low-end FLEX option in my rankings versus a guaranteed WR3. There doesn't seem to be much upside to selecting him at his current ADP.

JuJu Smith-Schuster has been limited to slot work in camp

Despite wanting more work outside, JuJu Smith-Schuster has been used almost exclusively in the slot, with little to no outside work whatsoever.

Fantasy Impact

Despite requesting more work on the outside, that has not come to fruition thus far for Smith-Schuster in camp. Based on their depth chart with Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson, that is unlikely to change much. While the slot role in Pittsburgh comes with a consistent workload in terms of targets, the upside is solidly capped because of the kinds of targets the former Trojan gets. Last year, Smith-Schuster averaged only 6.5 yards per target, which was 96th among qualifying receivers. His slot role drastically reduced his upside because there were virtually no big plays in his arsenal. With the draft selection of Najee Harris, it's clear the Steelers want to run the ball more frequently. Any decrease in passing volume will have a significant effect on Smith-Schuster's fantasy value. The fourth-year pro is currently being selected as the WR30. There should be some concerns Smith-Schuster could fall to No. 3 on the target chain with a second-year improvement from Claypool. Fantasy managers can pretty much take it to the bank that the Steelers will pass less in 2021 after leading the league in passing attempts in 2020 and with the selection of Najee Harris. Fantasy managers should be skeptical of JuJu's fantasy value in 2021. While he appears to provide a safe, weekly floor, the decrease in passing volume and limited upside caps his appeal. He shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a WR3.