Is Juju Smith-Schuster Injured Or Healthy? Fantasy Football Injury Update

Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the New England Patriots this offseason. Smith-Schuster will now play for his third team in three years after signing a one-year contract with Kansas City last offseason.

The former Pro Bowl wideout put together a solid 2022 campaign in his only year with Patrick Mahomes, finishing with 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games. New England would love to see him provide similar numbers in his first season, but they have yet to see the 26-year-old on the field due to an injury.

So, is he injured or healthy? Will he carry much fantasy value with his new team? Let's take a look.

Is Juju Smith-Schuster Injured Or Healthy?

When the Patriots open up their mandatory minicamp on Monday, Smith-Schuster will be absent, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. He didn't take the field for the team's optional OTAs due to an undisclosed injury, and his absence is expected to continue into New England's mandatory minicamp.

There hasn't been much of a report on what Smith-Schuster is dealing with, but the wideout did leave the AFC Title Game against the Bengals with a knee injury before returning two weeks later to play in the Super Bowl.  It's still early into the offseason, so there's no reason to panic about Smith-Schuster missing OTAs and the start of mandatory minicamp. Keep in mind that he played into February last season, so the Patriots are likely just being careful with their top wide receiver.

Juju Smith-Schuster Fantasy Football Outlook

Smith-Schuster delivered a bounce-back fantasy performance following an injury-riddled 2021 season. He finished as the WR27 and averaged just under 11.5 fantasy points per game. He had seven double-digit performances, which put him in the WR3/flex-play range every week. 

Smith-Schuster's fantasy value in New England will depend on his rapport with quarterback Mac Jones. Going from a pass-heavy offense with Mahomes to Jones could hurt the wideout's fantasy value. The Patriots quarterback only averaged 214.1 passing yards and one touchdown per game. 

The positive is that Smith-Schuster joins a team that lacks offensive weapons, so he should eat up a ton of targets in the slot. Jakobi Meyers left in the offseason, leaving DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne as the team's respective outside receivers. 

Meyers finished as the WR28 in fantasy last season with 804 yards on 67 catches. That could be the range where Smith-Schuster finishes in 2023.

More Fantasy Football Analysis