JuJu Smith-Schuster Injury Update Boosts James Washington's Outlook for Week 14 and Fantasy Football Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense has been ravaged by injuries this season, and it doesn't look like things will get any better in Week 14. James Conner is likely still out, and JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn't seem to be even close to returning to the field either.

JuJu Smith-Schuster said his knee injury is getting better, but didn’t say specifically what the injury sustained in Cleveland was.

He ran for the first time today, only working with straight-line runs. No cuts yet.

He says he’s week-to-week.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 4, 2019

Even before the injury, this had been a pretty quiet season for Smith-Schuster. Through nine full games he averaged 6.3 targets and 4.0 receptions, putting up 11.4 PPR fantasy points per game.

James Washington has really stepped up with JuJu out (and with Devlin Hodges in at QB), and the last two weeks have each seen him gain over 90 yards through the air, adding a touchdown in both games. That has been good for 18.8 and 21.1 PPR fantasy points.

Washington's expanded role should continue to give him fantasy value this week, as he gets a favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards have allowed the NFL's third-most PPR fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers.

Absurdly good TD grab by James Washington. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/3bAMmS9AlY
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) December 1, 2019

Accounting for Smith-Schuster sitting out, Washington checks in at WR30 in our Week 14 PPR fantasy football rankings.

Join FanDuel Sportsbook Today. New users get a risk-free bet up to $500. Join Now.

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.