19 JuJu Smith-Schuster WR

Smith-Schuster caught one of four targets for seven yards in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Chargers.

Smith-Schuster fell victim to the Steelers' unfortunate quarterback situation, as the team was down to its third option under center this season. Coach Mike Tomlin deployed a conservative, run-heavy gameplan that -- in conjunction with an impressive defensive performance -- actually pulled off an upset over the favored Chargers. That strategy, however, destroyed any potential for Smith-Schuster to help his fantasy owners. The Steelers' upcoming bye week should afford Mason Rudolph (concussion) enough time to recover from his injury, and that will provide a boon to his top receiver's value heading into a soft matchup against the Dolphins in Week 8.

Smith-Schuster caught all seven of his targets for 75 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 26-23 loss to Baltimore. He lost a fumble during the contest.

Smith-Schuster got the Steelers on the board late in the first quarter with a 35-yard catch-and-run over the middle to find the end zone. He almost converted a big second down in overtime but had the ball punched out, ultimately costing the Steelers the game. Smith-Schuster had arguably his most complete outing of the season against Baltimore -- aided by James Washington's (shoulder) exit -- but is now down to his third quarterback. Mason Rudolph's (concussion) health will have a major influence on Smith-Schuster's value heading into Week 6 against the Chargers.

Smith-Schuster (toe) is active for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Coming off a short week after playing 73 percent of the offensive snaps in the Monday night win over the Bengals, Smith-Schuster was only able to participate in one practice while managing the painful toe injury. That was apparently good enough for the Steelers to sign off on Smith-Schuster suiting up, but it's worth wondering how effective he might be while playing hurt. He turned in his worst performance of the season in the game against Cincinnati, bringing in only three of his four targets for 15 yards.

Smith-Schuster (toe), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens, is considered a true game-time decision, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Despite putting in a full practice Friday, Smith-Schuster apparently wasn't able to assuage the Steelers' concern about his injury. The team will wait and see how he responds to a pregame workout before making a call on his status when the inactive list is released 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. EDT kickoff.

Smith-Schuster (toe) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Smith-Schuster's toe injury prevented him from practicing Wednesday and Thursday, but the Steelers listed him as a full participant Friday on their final practice report of the week. However, Smith-Schuster told Pryor he only did the "bare minimum" during Friday's session, suggesting his toe -- which he previous injured in the Week 1 loss to New England -- is still somewhat of a concern heading into the weekend. In the event Smith-Schuster is held out or limited Sunday, young wideouts Diontae Johnson and James Washington would be thrust into even more prominent roles in the Steelers' passing attack.

Smith-Schuster (toe) didn't practice Thursday, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

That's the wideout's second straight absence, though Fittipaldo notes that offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner "sounded hopeful" that Smith-Schuster will play Sunday against the Ravens. Smith-Schuster will presumably have to practice in some capacity Friday for that to transpire, however.

Smith-Schuster (toe) didn't practice Wednesday.

Smith-Schuster logged 43 of a possible 58 snaps on offense in this past Monday's 27-3 win over the Bengals, en route to catching three of his four targets for a season-low 15 yards. So far there's been nothing to suggest that the wideout's status for Sunday's game against the Ravens is in peril, but that notion would be solidified by a return to practice Thursday, in some capacity, on Smith-Schuster's part.

Smith-Schuster hauled in three of four targets for 15 yards in Monday night's 27-3 win over Cincinnati.

All four of the balls thrown to Smith-Schuster came in the first half, as Pittsburgh relied on dinking and dunking most of the game. With the offense virtually eliminating the downfield pass from their game plan after Mason Rudolph took over for an injured Ben Roethlisberger (elbow), no one has taken a bigger hit to their production than Smith-Schuster. In the two games Roethlisberger started, Smith-Schuster totaled 11 catches for 162 yards, but he has just five receptions for 20 yards in the two games started by Rudolph. Fantasy owners hope to see a stat line Week 5 more in line with Smith-Schuster's performance in his two games against Baltimore last season, when he totaled 11 catches for 138 yards.

Smith-Schuster caught three of seven targets for 81 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the 49ers.

The receiver didn't seem to be on the same page as new quarterback Mason Rudolph for most of the game until the duo hooked up for a 76-yard TD late in the third quarter. Smith-Schuster caught the ball coming across the middle and split the secondary to take the ball to the house. It was JuJu's first touchdown of the year, but he's delivered steady production otherwise, coming up with at least 78 yards in all three games to date. With Ben Roethlisberger (elbow) done for the year, the Steelers' No. 1 WR will get plenty more chances to develop his connection with Rudolph further.

Smith-Schuster will be working with Mason Rudolph moving forward due to Ben Roethlisberger's season-ending elbow injury, Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Roethlisberger was removed from Sunday's loss to the Seahawks after noticeably clutching at his right throwing elbow a number of times. An ensuing MRI revealed that the long-time Steeler required surgery, ruling him out for the rest of the season. His replacement is Rudolph, who connected with Smith-Schuster on a 45-yard completion in the third quarter Sunday en route to the wideout racking up five catches (on eight targets) for 84 yards. While Smith-Schuster's stock drops slightly, he remains the best pass-catching option in this offense by a long shot, and there should be little hesitation starting him on a weekly basis.

Smith-Schuster caught five of eight targets for 84 yards in Sunday's 28-26 loss to the Seahawks.

Starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger exited the game at halftime due to an elbow injury, but Smith-Schuster showed good chemistry with backup Mason Rudolph, hauling in a 45-yard pass in the third quarter. While JuJu's stock would be downgraded a bit if Roethlisberger needs to miss any time, he still remains an upper-echelon wide receiver and the clear-cut top option in Pittsburgh's passing game.

Smith-Schuster (toe) returned to a full practice Thursday.

With that, Smith-Schuster is in line to play Sunday against the Seahawks, in a game where the Steelers offense has nowhere to go but up after a 33-3 loss to the Patriots in Week 1. Despite the rout, Smith-Schuster hauled in six of his eight targets for a team-high 78 yards in the contest and he figures to remain busy in Week 2, while serving as Pittsburgh's undisputed top wideout.

Smith-Schuster (toe) was limited in practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Smith-Schuster was rolled up on during Sunday night's thrashing in New England and hurt his toe in the process. Subsequent X-rays were returned negative, causing coach Mike Tomlin to be "optimistic" about Smith-Schuster's outlook. Predictably, Smith-Schuster's reps were capped to begin Week 2 preparations, so his activity level Thursday and Friday will give a better indication of his odds to suit up Sunday against the Seahawks.

Coach Mike Tomlin said he's "optimistic" Smith-Schuster (toe) will play Sunday against the Seahawks, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Per Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site, Tomlin noted that Smith-Schuster's on-field activity may be limited early this week, but the receiver's toe injury isn't expected to be anything that prevents him from suiting up during the upcoming weekend. Smith-Schuster suffered the injury late in the Steelers' 33-3 loss to the Patriots in Week 1, finishing the night with six receptions for 78 yards while playing 90 percent of the offensive snaps.

Smith-Schuster (toe) is expected to be fine after X-rays came back negative, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

This confirms an initial report suggesting Smith-Schuster avoided a serious injury when he got hurt during the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Patriots. His practice participation may be impacted, but it sounds like the Steelers expect to have their top receiver available when they host the Seahawks in Week 2. Smith-Schuster was one of the few bright spots for Pittsburgh in an ugly season opener, grabbing six of eight targets for 78 yards while handling a 90 percent snap share on offense.

Smith-Schuster suffered a toe injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Patriots but is expected be ready for Week 2, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

After further testing, it was discovered that Smith-Schuster rolled up on his toe during the team's final drive of Sunday's 30-point loss to the Patriots. Fortunately for him and the Steelers, it doesn't look like it is anything too serious. The club expects him to be on the field for next weekend's matchup with the Seahawks. Smith-Schuster hauled in six of his eight targets Sunday night for a team-high 78 yards in what ended up being a dismal overall performance for Pittsburgh's offense. His status is worth monitoring throughout the week, but expect the team's top pass-catcher to be a full go for the home opener.

Smith-Schuster suffered an ankle injury during Sunday's blowout loss to the Patriots, but the injury doesn't appear to be too serious, Dale Lolley of DKSportsPittsburgh.com reports.

Smith-Schuster tweaked his ankle during a meaningless play in the waning minutes of the 33-3 blowout loss. Luckily for his fantasy owners, it sounds like the star wideout avoided serious injury. Smith-Schuster paced the Steelers in receptions (six) and receiving yards (78), which was to be expected following the dramatic departure of Antonio Brown this past offseason. The 22-year-old's next matchup comes against the Seahawks next Sunday, whose secondary was just burned by Andy Dalton and the Bengals for 400-plus passing yards. Expect the team to clarify the status of the wideout's ankle in the coming days.

Smith-Schuster caught four of five targets for 37 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's preseason win over the Titans.

Smith-Schuster got his first taste of action as the true top wideout with Ben Roethlisberger under center. The duo was on the field for the first quarter, and they hit paydirt on the final play of their last drive together. With Antonio Brown in Oakland, the 23-year-old will default to Big Ben's top receiving option in 2019. Smith-Schuster already broke out with 1,426 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season, so it will be interesting to see if he can build on that, or if the absence of Brown will result in less room to operate. Whatever the case may be, the volume of targets will certainly be there for Smith-Schuster this season.

Smith-Schuster is focused on becoming more of a deep threat outside, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. "Being able to catch the deep balls down the field," Smith-Schuster said. "That's what I've focused on a lot, catching the ball over the shoulder and being able to be a threat on the outside."

With Antonio Brown off to Oakland and slot specialists Ryan Switzer and Eli Rogers left behind in Pittsburgh, there's an excellent chance Smith-Schuster takes more of his snaps outside this season. It's less clear if he'll become a viable deep threat, but he's so good at everything else that it shouldn't be a major issue if he struggles to gain separation on go routes. His work after the catch has led to some huge plays through two seasons, including gains of 97, 97, 75, 69 and 67 yards.

Smith-Schuster failed to catch any of the three targets he saw during the Steelers' 17-7 preseason win over the Chiefs on Saturday.

Smith-Schuster played in the first four series with Mason Rudolph under center, but they were never able to connect. Despite the blanking, there's essentially zero concerns about Smith-Schuster's role in the upcoming season, one that is expected to yield a prolific number of targets. The dynamic third-year receiver could have an opportunity to log some snaps with Ben Roethlisberger under center in the next preseason tilt, Sunday, Aug. 25 against the Titans.