Steelers fantasy football projections for offensive players

WR

JuJu Smith-Schuster: 92 rec, 1242 yds (13.5 YPR), 8 TDs

Fantasy score: 264 (6th ranked WR in 2019)

Diontae Johnson: 78 rec, 960 yds (12.3 YPR), 4 TDs

Fantasy score: 198 (26th ranked WR in 2019)

James Washington:47 rec, 730 yds (15.53 YPR), 2 TDs

Fantasy score: 132 (56th ranked WR in 2019)

If you can’t tell, I’m really high on JuJu Smith-Schuster this year. Entering a contract year, it will be almost impossible for him not to rebound. Considering his rapport with Roethlisberger, those kinds of stats aren’t out of the question. Considering the WR group around him is more proven as well, it should help draw coverage off of him, something that wasn’t the case early last year when Smith-Schuster still had Roethlisberger throwing to him. Considering his average draft position is somewhere in the third round, he could prove to be a minor steal for fantasy owners.

While I like Diontae Johnson a lot, I don’t think he quite hits a thousand yards. That won’t stop him from having a solid fantasy season though, as he seems primed to put up consistent numbers. He seems like a low-end number 2/high end number three, and his draft range (7th-9th round) could make him a great pickup who over-delivers by the season’s end. A lot of Steelers fans are expecting huge numbers from Johnson this year, but considering the number of targets at Roethlisberger’s disposal, I think his numbers may be a little lower than some think.

Finally, James Washington won’t be more than a depth option this year. While he grew a lot last year and showcased that big-play ability he was drafted for, he is primed to lose targets to rookie Chase Claypool. Those targets will likely be predominantly in the red zone, which will lead to low touchdown numbers for Washington. That said, there isn’t any reason to believe his healthy yards per reception number should decrease from last year. Expect him to make the most of his opportunities, but for those opportunities to still be limited.