When you think of the must-own WR on the Steelers, you naturally think of Antonio Brown, who has been widely regarded as the top receiver in the game for about half a decade. AB is having another top-tier season, but JuJu Smith-Schuster has been right on his tail all season long. JuJu has just 12 less targets than Brown in 2018 and has him beat in receptions (77 to 71) and yards (1,055 to 874). AB still holds a strong 11-4 lead in TDs, but with Smith-Schuster tied for the league lead with 23 red zone targets, the scoring opportunities will always be there, along with his big-play ability and electrifying speed.
JuJu Smith-Schuster has now been targeted 10+ times in 6 of his 11 games this season, including 17 times in Sunday’s loss to Denver that resulted in 13 receptions for 189 yards and a 97-yard touchdown. He’s now in the top 10 in the league in targets (9th), receptions (T-6th), yards (6th), and YAC (9th) and carved out enough of a role to be productive even while his teammate AB has yet another outstanding season. The duo has accounted for over half of Pittsburgh’s passing yardage this season and 60% of their TDs, and nobody should be interrupting that trend any time soon.
Moving forward, the Steelers have their next 3 games against teams who aren’t particular generous to fantasy wideouts — the Chargers, Raiders, and Patriots are 25th, 18th, and 20th respectively in points allowed to WRs — but Weeks 16 and 17 (if your league goes that long) come against the Saints (most PA to WRs) and Bengals (6th-most). Regardless, JuJu is a matchup-proof start as he tries to be the first player not named Antonio Brown to lead the Steelers in receiving since 2012.
