Is Juju Smith-Schuster playing tonight against Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5?

Juju Smith-Schuster has not been the same since that season-ending shoulder injury during the Week 5 match for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a win over the Denver Broncos last season.

Ever since the injury, he has been slowly finding his feet in the league and trying to showcase the qualities that made him one of the 2020 NFL season's breakout stars.

It became clear that Smith-Schuster needed a change of environment, as the only QB he had ever played with, big Ben Roethlisberger, had just retired from the league.

So what did Smith-Schuster do next? Well, he signed a one-year $10 million deal to play with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2022 season. Thus, Smith-Schuster moved from a rebuild to a contender seemingly with ease.

However, the honeymoon phase in Kansas is truly over, as Smith-Schuster is struggling significantly. Still looking for his first touchdown as a Chief, Juju Smith-Schuster's time to dispel the doubters is quickly running out.

Is Juju Smith-Schuster playing tonight?

Despite his struggles, this season, a positive in Smith-Schuster's camp is that he hasn't suffered a stifling injury thus far. His first full season since the injury-ravaged 2021 season is going largely to plan, with him getting used to the Kansas City playbook.

Hence, barring any unfortunate scenarios, Smith-Schuster will start tonight's game against the Las Vegas Raiders as they look to bounce back from their disappointing loss against the Indianapolis Colts.

Juju Smith-Schuster's fantasy football update and predictions

For all his talents, Juju Smith-Schuster has never been a solid NFL fantasy league pick, as he is more known for his intangibles than box stats. This season has been no different, as a stat line of 19 receptions, 224 yards covered for an average of 11.8 yards per game, and zero touchdowns don't make for good reading.

These stats have contributed to plummeting Smith-Schuster to 56 among all wide receivers in the fantasy league points sweepstakes. He has accumulated 20.4 at a paltry 5.1 points per game this season.

A Smith-Schuster apologist might attribute these low numbers to the status of Travis Kelce as the de facto target of Patrick Mahomes, but such stats don't just cut it.

Juju Smith-Schuster's alternative picks for your fantasy team

Juju Smith-Schuster is the season's highest-ranking Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver in the NFL fantasy football ranking. He comes in ahead of fellow Kansas wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling (rank 66), Mecole Hardman (rank 83), and Justin Watson (rank 91). If you're looking for points from your wide receivers, then it's likely that Kansas City is not the smartest pick.

Looking outward, on the other hand, you could go for a variety of options such as Drake London, Ja'Marr Chase, or perhaps Amari Cooper. All are juicy alternate picks, and the ball is in your Gridiron!