Can Jonnu Smith Be Fantasy Football-Relevant With the Steelers?

On Monday morning, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins pulled off a blockbuster trade that sent Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

The Steelers get a three-time All-Pro cornerback in Ramsey. The Dolphins are reunited with Fitzpatrick, who has earned three All-Pro nods since Miami drafted the safety back in 2018.

But as fantasy football managers are concerned, Jonnu Smith is an interesting piece of the puzzle.

Smith churned out career highs in receptions (88), targets (111), yards (884), and touchdowns (8) with the Dolphins in 2024 and now gets sent to a club that already features Pat Freiermuth on the tight end depth chart.

Can Smith achieve fantasy football relevance with the Steelers in 2025? Let's dive into his outlook with Pittsburgh.

Jonnu Smith's Fantasy Football Outlook With Pittsburgh

It took some time, but Smith ultimately rewarded his fantasy managers last season. He held a 21 average draft position (ADP) at the tight end spot but ended up finishing as the TE4 in half-PPR scoring.

Smith was a madman down the stretch, collecting seven scores across his final eight games and piecing together two 100-yard, touchdown performances in that span. It helped to log the fourth-most targets among TEs, as well as the fourth-most targets (10) inside the 10-yard line, of which he converted to the end zone at a 70.0% rate.

Will that volume be there in Pittsburgh? No, probably not. The Tua Tagovailoa-led Dolphins offered one of the more fantasy-friendly environments around, and Smith was practically in a world of his own in that tight end room.

He now joins a run-heavy Steelers offense that will feature the aging and questionable Aaron Rodgers under center. And though Freiermuth possesses a different skillset and role at the tight end spot, taking on a heavier share of pass-blocking duties, he still figures to eat into Smith's red zone targets. Offseason addition D.K. Metcalf is primed for gaudy target shares across the board, too.

On the bright side, Smith will be reunited with OC Arthur Smith after the two spent the 2023 season together in Atlanta. Smith (13.8%) rivaled Kyle Pitts (17.8%) in target share that campaign and actually saw more red zone targets than Pitts.

The Steelers just nabbed Smith for a reason. One look at the receiving room -- which features Calvin Austin III and Robert Woods past Metcalf -- shows a clear lack of juice and suggests intriguing opportunities for Smith as a pass-catcher. So while we definitely need to downgrade expectations for Smith now that he's a Steeler, all is not lost for the 2024 Pro Bowler.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.