Ever since the media frenzy ran its course and Antonio Brown settled in for a season of lunacy in Oakland, the stage has been set for 21-year-old JuJu Smith-Schuster to step into his role. The young wideout enters his 3rd season with 169 receptions, over 2,300 yards, and a Pro Bowl selection under his belt, and now he’s Pittsburgh’s undisputed No. 1 option. And he certainly seems ready to play the part and determined to do it better than AB ever did — he’s been putting in extra work on the practice field constantly, and he took some time during camp recently to take in some advice from Santonio Holmes (probably while AB was taking a foot bath and writing a letter to the NFL about his helmet dilemma). JuJu is young, talented, and doesn’t seem to be losing his work ethic — and his ADP is taking note.
I told you last year that JuJu was coming. And I may have mentioned something about him having a big 2019 already. So if you haven’t already marked him with a big star in your draft notes, that’s on you. Smith-Schuster stepped up in a big way last season when Le’Veon Bell‘s contract squabble ended up lasting the entire season. And when Antonio Brown missed time over the past 2 seasons, JuJu has stepped up even further — in the 3 games Brown sat, Smith-Schuster averaged 7 catches for 85 yards and a TD in 3 Steeler wins.
The Steelers aren’t completely void of receiving options in Brown’s absence, but nobody on the roster is going to get in the way of JuJu’s dominance. Donte Moncrief, James Washington, and Vance McDonald are solid secondary options, and both James Conner and Jaylen Samuels will get targets too, but the Steelers know what they’ve got in #19.
Fantasy owners seem to be catching on, too, as Smith-Schuster’s getting drafted in the early-to-mid 2nd round in 2019 drafts. Our own Wolf has him at 16th overall and WR7 on his Big Board, and one could argue he should be even higher. His talent is unquestionable, and if he sees any kind of increase in targets compared to the 166 he got last year, there’s really no limit to Smith-Schuster’s potential in 2019.
