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JuJu Smith-Schuster 2019 Outlook: The Spotlight Is All His
6 years agoPittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster stole some of the spotlight in the Steel City in 2018, and has quickly jumped to star status in the NFL. Seeing 166 targets, Smith-Schuster hauled in 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven scores. While he still had Antonio Brown hogging a lot of targets, the second-year receiver proved to be a reliable safety net for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. An average of 8.6 air yards per target was less than the 11.6 from his rookie year in 2017, but the USC product was in Roethlisberger’s sights often. Now that Brown is on the West coast, Smith-Schuster has little competition for targets. Roethlisberger has a history of force feeding his top target (aka Brown) regardless of coverage, so the 22-year-old will have no problem maintaining a high target total. His 15th overall ADP in PPR formats is right in line with his prime opportunity this year. He would only take a slight hit in standard leagues, due to not scoring more than seven touchdowns in either of his two pro seasons, but Smith-Schuster should still be considered a top eight option at wide receiver.
