Giants to release JuJu Smith-Schuster

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 drumbeat continues to grow louder for an OBJ/Giants reunion. The star receiver was recently spotted at Brian Burns charity softball game over the weekend, and has remained in constant contact with the team this offseason. At 33 years old, it’s hard to imagine OBJ offering much upside in reality and in fantasy land. Beckham didn’t play in 2025 and had a forgettable 2024 season with the Dolphins, catching nine passes for 55 scoreless yards. In addition to Beckham, the Giants are also working out JuJu Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios, and Anthony Miller on Monday. Smith-Schuster caught 33 passes for 345 yards and one touchdown last season with the Chiefs.

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.

Not a big surprise here as Chiefs head coach Andy Reid described Worthy’s odds of playing in Week 2 as “slim” on Friday. Reid would go on to say that Worthy is doing well, which bodes well for his availability in Week 3, after suffering a shoulder injury that stemmed from a collision with tight end Travis Kelce in Week 1 against the Chargers. The Chiefs’ wide receiver room is wide open without Worthy and Rashee Rice, who still has five games of his suspension left. Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are next up for Kansas City in the passing game with Brown seeing 16 targets in Week 1 against the Chargers.

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.