After a breakout season in 2018, when he had 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns, hopes were high for JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2019. Antonio Brown‘s exit from the Steelers opened up the role as “the guy”, further bolstering expectations.
But it was not to be. Ben Roethlisberger went down for the season with an elbow injury in Week 2, and Mason Rudolph replaced him first. Rudolph was eventually replaced by Devlin Hodges, and Smith-Schuster also missed four games due to a knee issue. He also dealt with a toe injury early in the season.
All told, Smith-Schuster finished with 42 receptions (on 70 targets) for 552 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. Injuries and far below-par quarterback play from Rudolph and Hodges conspired to drive Smith-Schuster down. Questions about his ability to be a No. 1 wide receiver are lingering, but 2019 is not a representative sample.
It’s worth noting (for better or worse) that 2018 was Roethlisberger’s most productive season, as he led the league with 5,129 passing yards and set a career-high with 34 touchdown passes. He’s also 38 years old and coming off elbow surgery now, but even if his arm only comes back partially he’s bound to be way better than Rudolph and Hodges.
https://twitter.com/DBro_FFB/status/1259084747369779200?s=20
Diontae Johnson and James Washington should still be factors this year, and rookie Chase Claypool is an interesting option. But better health and ingrained chemistry with Roethlisberger locks Smith-Schuster in as the No. 1 target in Pittsburgh’s passing game.
Numbers on par with 2018, when he finished as WR9 in standard leagues and WR8 in full-point PPR, are fairly easy to project for Smith-Schuster this. Something more like 140-150 targets is a reasonable expectation, with a finish on the WR1/WR2 border as a worthy bounce back in his age-24 season.
JuJu Smith-Schuster 2020 Projection: 93 receptions for 1,230 yards, 7 TD
Bounceback Confidence: 88%
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