Ranking the 5 most valuable Steelers in fantasy football

4. Juju Smith-Schuster

To the dismay of many fantasy football owners, Juju Smith-Schuster returned to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal this offseason.

While he and the team say he will spend more time on the outside this year, he is most valuable to the team in the slot. He is also still going to be competing for targets with Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and James Washington, and the team brought in Najee Harris in the draft who is adept at catching passes out of the backfield.

Still, Roethlisberger and Smith-Schuster have chemistry, and he appears to be Roethlisberger’s safety blanket. Despite only racking up 831 yards last season, Smith-Schuster turned 128 targets into 97 receptions and nine touchdowns. His target share in the offense makes him an extremely valuable target in PPR leagues even if the yardage doesn’t increase.

While playing on the outside more will likely decrease his targets a little, he could also see a slight uptick in yards to balance that out.

Smith-Schuster doesn’t possess the upside of the other two Steelers receivers, however, his target share and ability to score makes him a consistent flex play, with a safe weekly floor, and the ability to move into the WR2 conversation some weeks.

3. Chase Claypool

Chase Claypool established himself as a potent red zone threat, who can stretch the field with big-play potential in his rookie year. He is the exact opposite of Smith-Schuster from a fantasy perspective but provides plenty of value in his own right.

Unlike Smith-Schuster, Claypool is not a consistent weekly option, however, he has immense upside and presents massive boom/bust potential from week to week. The two are likely to finish neck and neck in fantasy points by the end of the season, but due to possible untapped potential, and his value in both standard and PPR leagues, Claypool gets the slight edge.

Chase Claypool had 62 receptions for 873 yards and nine touchdowns last year, while also chipping in two rushing touchdowns. His combination of size and speed makes him a valuable piece in the Steelers offense, and someone Roethlisberger will lean on for splash plays and in the red zone.

Claypool doesn’t check in any higher due to his boom/bust potential, and since Ben Roethlisberger’s arm strength isn’t quite what it once was. Look for Claypool as an upside play who could potentially break out this season.