NFL news

Smith-Schuster is touring wide receiver-needy teams, working out with the Chargers Monday after visiting the Vikings on Monday. Several other names also worked out for the Chargers, including former 49ers WR Ronnie Bell and quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Jake Browning. With Trey Lance on injured reserve and several Chargers receivers dealing with injuries, the Chargers are looking for reinforcements.

Smith-Schuster was released by the Giants in training camp, and last worked out for the Jets in September. The 29-year-old receiver caught 33 passes for 345 yards and one touchdown last season, but wouldn’t be anything more than a depth signing if he were to sign with the Vikings or another team this season.

He wasn’t healthy for much of training camp and apparently wasn’t needed to help further teach the Matt Nagy offense to the Giants. Smith-Schuster is just veteran depth at this point of his career, he’ll try to catch on elsewhere before the season starts.

It’s been a busy Monday for the Giants, who have now added three receivers to the roster with the signing of Smith-Schuster. The 29-year-old pass-catcher has spent the last two seasons with the Chiefs as a role player, catching 51 passes for 576 yards and three touchdowns over that span. The receiver-needy Giants also added Braxton Berrios and Odell Beckham Jr. to give them what is quickly becoming one of the older wide receiver rooms in the league. Much like the other two players signed before him, there’s little reason to believe Smith-Schuster will make any sort of meaningful fantasy impact in 2026, if he makes the roster.

The veteran had more than three receptions in just three games this season, totaling 34 catches for 334 yards and two a touchdown. Smith-Schuster operated mostly as a rotational receiver and an intermediate outlet for Patrick Mahomes. The 29-year-old wideout, with 51 catches over the past two seasons, will probably be with another team in 2026. He’s an unrestricted free agent.

JuJu, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown all saw exactly three targets with Rashee Rice sidelined this week. Smith-Schuster somehow led the trio in catches and yards. He isn’t a fantasy option in his own right, but JuJu is preventing any other wideout from stepping up as the team’s No. 1 receiver. Fantasy managers can ignore all three players for their Week 18 showdown with Las Vegas.

Smith-Schuster is barely on the FLEX radar, now thoroughly past his prime. He has totaled five targets in 3-of-4 games thus far, though, so losing him to an injury could hurt Patrick Mahomes’ scoring ability a tad. Fortunately, that will not be an issue here. Smith-Schuster should be good to go for Week 5 against the Jaguars.

Smith-Schuster logged a route on 37 of Patrick Mahomes’ 44 dropbacks and caught one of Mahomes’ four touchdowns in the easy win over a beat-up Baltimore defense. Smith-Schuster caught his touchdown — the first of his 2025 season — between two defenders from four yards out. An every-down player in the pass-heavy KC offense, Smith-Schuster — with 14 catches through Week 4 — should be rostered in deep fantasy leagues. He gets the Jaguars in Week 5.

The Chiefs lost Xavier Worthy to a shoulder injury early in this game and Rashee Rice is serving a six-week suspension, elevating Smith-Schuster to a starting role. He was open for the occasional check-down from Patrick Mahomes but wasn’t overly involved in the game plan. Hollywood Brown led the team with a staggering 16 targets. JuJu’s five looks were second-most on the squad. Smith-Schuster will have WR6 fantasy value if Worthy is sidelined for Week 2 versus the Eagles, though most fantasy managers won’t need to dig that deep this early in the year.

Smith-Schuster returns to the Chiefs on a one-year deal after serving in a complementary role with the team in 2024. The financials have not yet been released, but they are unlikely to turn many heads. Smith-Schuster was responsible for modest returns outside of the one game he played without all of Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, and DeAndre Hopkins, putting up a massive 8-130 receiving line in Week 5. While Nuk is no longer in town, the team also re-signed Brown, have promising second-year speedster Xavier Worthy, and will likely be getting back Rice, pending any legal ramifications from his previous troubles.

Back in Kansas City after an unsuccessful 2023 hiatus in New England, 28-year-old Smith-Schuster emerged as an injured Rashee Rice’s unlikely replacement in Week 5 only to suffer a hamstring ailment of his own. After erupting for 130 yards in that contest, Smith-Schuster would produce only 84 total yards upon returning from his muscle pull in Week 11. He was slightly more involved in the postseason, but this remains a player in terminal career decline. Heading back to free agency, the former Steelers phenom has just 491 yards over his past 25 regular season games.

Smith-Schuster’s 31-yarder in the first quarter set up the Chiefs near the doorstep of the red zone, and a 29-yarder did the same on Kansas City’s go-ahead touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. Smith-Schuster handily outsnapped No. 4 and No. 5 wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Justin Watson 37-12-11. There may not be enough balls to go around for Smith-Schuster to have more than this kind of splash DFS value in the Super Bowl, but he appears well ahead of Hopkins and Watson on snaps.

Smith-Schuster was both ineffective and on-field throughout a Week 18 loss in which the Chiefs rested all valued players. Both factors bode negatively for Smith-Schuster’s potential playoff role. He should not be relied upon for fantasy purposes against whichever team the Chiefs face after their first-round playoff bye.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted nine different pass-catchers with his 37 pass attempts, leaving only DeAndre Hopkins to see more than a modest six looks. Either way, the addition of Hopkins has pushed Smith-Schuster down the pecking order for targets in a highly unconcentrated offense, leaving very little meat on the fantasy bone the rest of the way.

Smith-Schuster ran a route on 56 percent of Patrick Mahomes’ drop backs and was not part of the passing offense. Xavier Worthy and DeAndre Hopkins continue to operate as the Chiefs’ top two wideouts. Smith-Schuster can remain on waiver wires ahead of Week 13.