Is Juju primed to have another big year in Kansas City?

Juju Smith-Schuster is now on a new football team with a new QB. Now, what does this mean for the talented wide receiver? It means he has a greater chance of repeating what he did just a few years ago. 

Jujus’ 2018 season was incredible, and it was only his second season in the NFL. Juju had 111 receptions, 1426 yards, and 7 Tds, all with an aging Big Ben. Granted, it was one of Big Ben’s best years, but the Steelers had another stud wide receiver named Antonio Brown; ever heard of him? I’m sure you have. Before his crazy comments and on-field shenanigans, AB was elite and drew a lot of notice from opposing defenses which helped juju become successful.

 With AB leaving the team in 2019, by default, Juju became the leading WR in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, with injuries and poor quarterback play, Juju could never become successful as the Steelers’ number one option. During the 2019 season, Juju saw three different QBs and missed four games.

With these unfortunate circumstances, Juju only finished with 552 yards and three touchdowns. Even though JuJu had a tough season, he still had high yards per target (YPT). Over the 12 games, Juju saw 70 targets and brought in 42 of them, Making his catch percentage at 60. Not bad for a guy that saw multiple non-starting QBs. 

In 2020 Juju was yet again another fantasy disappointment, or was he? Juju only missed two starts, and Big Ben was able to come back. During the season, the Steelers decided to change up the offense by trying to get the ball out of Ben’s hands faster due to his season-ending elbow surgery. With this change of offense came a shift in Juju. In 2018 Juju saw a total of 517 slot snaps; in 2020, he saw 711. The Steelers decided to make Juju strictly a slot threat. 

With the size of Juju and how physical he is, it only made sense. The only problem with this was Ben wasn’t the same. During the season, Ben saw a drop in yards per target to the second-lowest of his career(6.3). His average was 7.6. With that said, he didn’t have the arm anymore. How did it affect Juju? Simple, Juju saw a drop in targets, yards, and yards per reception(8.6). In 2018 his yards per reception were at 12.8. With all of these lows for Juju, he still averaged 14.6 fantasy points in full PPR formats per RotoWire. 

In 2021 the injury bug struck again for the young wide receiver. Juju could only play five games and missed the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery. Many people have said that Juju has been a bust over his career, but he’s just had a few bumps in the road. When Juju is on the field, he’s shown that he could be one of the best, and he’s able to adjust to anything. A positive outlook for the 2021 season was that Juju was able to make his way back and play in the playoffs. Few people expected Juju to come back due to the injury causing him to have surgery, but the kid is tough! 

Fast forward to 2022; Juju is on a new team, with a better QB in Patrick Mahomes and a unique number 1 option in Travis Kelce. If Juju can stay on the field for more than 14 games, he’ll be successful, and here’s why. Big Ben had a fantastic career, but unfortunately, Juju wasn’t around for much of it. Over Mahomes 5 year career, he has thrown for over 18,000 yards and more than 150 touchdowns. I shouldn’t have to go in-depth about how good Mahomes is because he’s just that good, but I’ll explain why he’s better than what Ben was towards the end of his career.

  In 2021, Mahomes yards per attempt were 7.4, substantially higher than Ben’s 2021 season. He also had more yards, touchdowns, and attempts. Mahomes’ completion percentage was 66.1% as opposed to Ben’s, 64.5%. Now it doesn’t seem fair to compare the two quarterbacks with one (Patrick Mahomes) being in his prime and what was the ghost of Big Ben, but that’s the point! Juju is getting an upgrade at QB while joining a team that’s been better than the Steelers. 

The Kansas City Chiefs attempted 658 pass attempts which were 53 more times than Ben and the Steelers. With the Chiefs losing Tyreek Hill, their best offensive weapon, along with  Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle, there are 260 targets available. The Chiefs also brought in a few other guys along with Juju. With Juju being the most proven, he should have no problem taking on the number one wide receiver role. Even though Juju is the most established out of the new additions, he won’t be Mahomes’ number 1 option.

With Kelce most likely being that number one option, it will only benefit Juju. Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends to play the game, and his large target share of 24.9% in 2021 per playerprofiler means he will draw most of the attention. With teams focused on Kelce, it should allow Juju to become more open. Juju can slip right into the slot and take over Hill’s 313 slot snaps from 2021. 

The Chiefs high powered offense will only bring out the best in Juju. Even though Juju has all of these things going for him, he’s still going as the WR 34 and 85th overall per fantasypros. Juju has never finished outside the top twenty in full PPR when he’s played 14 or more games, and now he’s in a similar situation as in 2018 with a better QB. There’s no risk at all to take Him in the 8th round. Make sure to draft Juju in your next draft! 

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