The Pittsburgh Steelers will need all the help they can get when they host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but it appears they'll be without arguably their top offensive weapon for the fourth straight week.

Star wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster hasn't taken the field since suffering both a concussion and knee injury during Pittsburgh's Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and while he returned to practice Wednesday as a full participant, he reportedly exited Thursday's session early, prompting the team to list him as a limited participant. Now, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the wideout is considered unlikely to play against the Bills after aggravating his knee injury.

The Steelers figured to approach Week 15 with more focus on the ground game, which has helped drive the team's offense in the wake of injuries to both Ben Roethlisberger and his backup, Mason Rudolph, at quarterback. Running back James Conner, who's also been troubled with injuries, returned to full practice this week. But Smith-Schuster is easily the most accomplished of the Steelers receivers and would've given them a downfield target against a stingy Buffalo pass defense.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this week Pittsburgh needs the former second-round pick "a lot." Without him, third-string-turned-starting QB Devlin Hodges is likely to target Diontae Johnson and James Washington atop the receiving depth chart.

After hauling in 58 passes as a rookie, Smith-Schuster broke out in 2018 with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns opposite Antonio Brown. Expected to take over Brown's No. 1 spot this season, he's on pace for career-low marks across the board, having caught 38 passes for 524 yards and three scores through 10 games.