Fantasy Fallout! Jonnu Smith Traded To The Pittsburgh Steelers

The NFL offseason continues to move on, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins had a trick up their sleeves to help get us through the downtime before training camp begins. The Miami Dolphins packaged both cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a late-round pick. The odd piece in all of this was how Jonnu Smith got roped into the deal after the season he had with the Dolphins in 2024?

Last season, Jonnu Smith finished as the TE5, averaging 13.1 fantasy points per game. Smith also totaled 884 receiving yards (fourth-best) and eight touchdowns. So his being traded was a head-scratcher. But it gets better. The Steelers now have three tight ends on the roster with the addition of Jonnu Smith. Pat Frieremuth and Darnell Washington were already rostered players before the trade. How does the trade impact these guys? Let’s take this apart piece by piece.

Fantasy Fallout: Jonnu’s Gone, Miami Dolphins

Jonnu Smith’s impact was great for fantasy managers last season. Heralded as one of the “waiver wire darlings” from the 2024 season, Smith’s rise in status while on the Dolphins did hurt a particular and with his departure, the adverse effect should take place. That player: Jaylen Waddle.

Waddle had his own issues to deal with last season, like trying to stay on the field while dealing with nicks and bruises. There were various times when Waddle would have to leave games due to an injury. With Waddle not being reliable, the Dolphins’ quarterbacks had to look for other targets that were. Jonnu Smith tallied up 111 targets during the 2024 season, allowing him to finish fourth in targets among fantasy tight ends. Waddle’s target share shrank 104 targets in 2023 to just 83 in 2024.

Waddle would finish the season ranking fourth on the team in targets, with running back De’Von Achane finishing with 87 targets. But with Jonnu Smith gone to Pittsburgh, his 111 vacated targets are now back on the market. Waddle will have to prove that he can stay on the field this year. From the looks of some of the videos from OTAs and mini-camp, Waddle has been in the weight room to make sure of that. Waddle’s current ADP sits at the WR34, per Fantasydata, firmly in WR3 territory. But that’s not a bad space considering how much the Dolphins like to throw the ball. The Dolphins finished eighth in passing attempts last season with 591 with a near 70% completion rate.

Fantasy Fallout! The New Steelers Tight End Look

At first glance, the landing of Jonnu Smith looked like it would mess with the status of Pat Freiermuth. But after the reaction to the trade died down, it makes sense that the Steelers went after Smith. Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith gets his long-time tight end back via the trade. Arthur and Jonnu Smith have been together in Tennessee and Atlanta. Now they’re back together with the Steelers.

Jonnu Smith also allows the Steelers offense to utilize two tight end sets. Placing Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith on opposite ends of the offensive line gives Aaron Rodgers another weapon to throw to and provides the Steelers offense with two solid pass-catching tight ends on the field. This should allow Arthur Smith to create mismatches against opposing defenses.

With the Steelers yet to address the wide receiver two spot, Jonnu Smith could be the extra option pass catcher that the Steelers can use this season. Robert Woods, Calvin Austin, and Roman Wilson aren’t solid secondary options. Running the ball with rookie Kaleb Johnson while using two tight ends and a big playmaker with D.K. Metcalf looks to be what the Steelers are going for this season. There are a few options that they can exercise to continue to add weapons for Aaron Rodgers but for now, this is what’s on the table.

Regarding ADP, however, it does look like Jonnu Smith is being ranked ahead of Pat Freiermuth. Fantasypros has Jonnu Smith ranked as the TE10 with Pat Freiermuth ranked later as the TE18. Whether this remains the case will be interesting to see as we get closer to training camp.

The Wrap Up

Jonnu Smith has a lane for fantasy production at the tight end spot for the Steelers because they still lack viable pass-catchers behind D.K. Metcalf. Without a stronger number two option on the roster and Aaron Rodgers still willing to throw the ball, someone is going to be used to soak up those targets. There might even be some volume at play for Smith too. But there is a red flag.

While playing under Arthur Smith, Jonnu’s fantasy production has never been the greatest. Smith has never cracked a 10 fantasy point average while playing in a Arthur Smith offense whether it was with the Titans or Falcons. His best seasons under Arthur Smith were in 2020 with the Titans where he finished with 448 yards and eight touchdowns for a 9.3 FPPG average. Then he popped again for a 7.3 FPPG average his single season with the Atlanta Falcons with 582 yards and three touchdowns.

If I’m a fantasy manager I’m looking elsewhere for a tight end this season. Taking a chance on Jonnu Smith just feels like you’re chasing points from last season because of what he did with the Miami Dolphins. But Smith’s scene has changed this year and while he has displayed the talent once he’s given the ball, there’s no guarantee he will be repeat it in Pittsburgh.

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