JuJu

Smith-Schuster

Back in Kansas City after an unsuccessful 2023 hiatus in New England, 28-year-old Smith-Schuster emerged as an injured Rashee Rice’s unlikely replacement in Week 5 only to suffer a hamstring ailment of his own. After erupting for 130 yards in that contest, Smith-Schuster would produce only 84 total yards upon returning from his muscle pull in Week 11. He was slightly more involved in the postseason, but this remains a player in terminal career decline. Heading back to free agency, the former Steelers phenom has just 491 yards over his past 25 regular season games.

Smith-Schuster’s 31-yarder in the first quarter set up the Chiefs near the doorstep of the red zone, and a 29-yarder did the same on Kansas City’s go-ahead touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. Smith-Schuster handily outsnapped No. 4 and No. 5 wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Justin Watson 37-12-11. There may not be enough balls to go around for Smith-Schuster to have more than this kind of splash DFS value in the Super Bowl, but he appears well ahead of Hopkins and Watson on snaps.

Smith-Schuster was both ineffective and on-field throughout a Week 18 loss in which the Chiefs rested all valued players. Both factors bode negatively for Smith-Schuster’s potential playoff role. He should not be relied upon for fantasy purposes against whichever team the Chiefs face after their first-round playoff bye.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted nine different pass-catchers with his 37 pass attempts, leaving only DeAndre Hopkins to see more than a modest six looks. Either way, the addition of Hopkins has pushed Smith-Schuster down the pecking order for targets in a highly unconcentrated offense, leaving very little meat on the fantasy bone the rest of the way.

Watson, additionally, had a brutal deep drop that likely would have been a score in the game’s opening three plays. He beat out Juju Smith-Schuster as the fifth option in the passing game today, but the lesson with the Chiefs right now is that they are going to spread the ball around. Watson will be a deep-leagues only play in Week 14, as he is every week.

Smith-Schuster ran a route on 56 percent of Patrick Mahomes’ drop backs and was not part of the passing offense. Xavier Worthy and DeAndre Hopkins continue to operate as the Chiefs’ top two wideouts. Smith-Schuster can remain on waiver wires ahead of Week 13.

Fantasy managers should tentatively expect to have Smith-Schuster available this week. With DeAndre Hopkins now in the fold, Smith-Schuster can only be started as a volatile WR4/5 or flex option, though this game in particular could be a high-scoring affair. The Chiefs take on the Bills on Sunday afternoon.

On Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid suggested that Smith-Schuster would be available for Week 11’s game against the Bills. His being upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice suggests he is indeed trending in that direction, but we’ll know for sure when Friday’s injury report is released. In his last game played, Smith-Schuster racked up seven catches and 130 scoreless yards in Week 5 against the Saints. With DeAndre Hopkins now in the mix, we shouldn’t expect JuJu to see the kind of volume he saw that week. He’ll likely revert to more of a role player who could have added fantasy upside if Hopkins was to ever miss time.

As expected, JuJu got in a limited practice on Wednesday, putting him on track to return from a hamstring injury he suffered in late October. Since then, the Chiefs acquired DeAndre Hopkins from the Titans. It’s a move that will make Smith-Schuster a tertiary pass catching option in the balanced Kansas City offense. He should be picked up in deeper formats in case Hopkins misses time in the second half of the season.

Smith-Schuster has not practiced since Week 7 and should probably have hit IR at this point. Edwards-Helaire is just a healthy scratch again as Kareem Hunt is rolling. Also inactive for the Chiefs are: OT Ethan Driskell, OL C.J. Hanson, DE Cameron Thomas, and DT Marlon Tuipulotu. Tershawn Wharton is playing off a questionable tag. Every non-Smith-Schuster inactive here is a healthy scratch.