JuJu Smith-Schuster

As NFL teams steadily returned to the practice fields, the buzz surrounding the 2019 season began to grow rapidly. And a significant part of that excitement is a new fantasy football year.

Since the regular season is still several weeks away, picking a full and final roster is a risky proposition. Injuries, suspensions and holdouts all impact a fantasy owner, and making a wrong choice in the early rounds—you know, LeVeon Bell in 2018—can dramatically alter a team's level of success.

Fire up the mock drafts, everyone!

While there are any number of settings, the most popular format is a 10-team league with standard scoring. This piece offers a breakdown of picks and the strategy used within that format.

Note: A touchdown pass is worth four points, and every 25 passing yards generate one. Every 10 rushing or receiving yards is a point, and a rushing or receiving touchdown is worth six. Each team starts 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 FLEX, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 D/ST). 

Mock Draft

1 (Pick 2) Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
2 (19). JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
3 (22). Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4 (39). Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
5 (42). Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders
6 (59). Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
7 (62). DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
8 (79). Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
9 (82). Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks
10 (99). Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
11 (102). Eric Ebron, TE, Indianapolis Colts
12 (119). T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
13 (122). Anthony Miller, WR, Chicago Bears
14 (139). Dion Lewis, RB, Tennessee Titans
15 (142). Wil Lutz, K, New Orleans Saints
16 (159). Tennessee Titans D/ST

Bold Picks

The first potential head-turning pick happened in Round 2, where JuJu Smith-Schuster received the nod over Antonio Brown. Some would say Smith-Schuster was the easy choice, though.

Since both players will receive an immense volume of targets, that's probably more a matter of preference.

The progression of this mock didn't compel a serious risk early. Mike Evans was a painless third-rounder with Brown and Keenan Evans sandwiched between my picks at 19 and 22.

Granted, depending on your perception of bye-week importance, there is a short-term mess looming. All three top picks—McCaffrey, Smith-Schuster and Evans—would be unavailable in Week 7. But that's more a brief inconvenience than anything major.

The biggest red flag is clear: running back.

Relying on Oakland Raiders rookie Josh Jacobs behind McCaffrey is notable, but it's the decision following Jacobs in Round 5 that is more impactful. Tyler Boyd and DJ Moore seemed to offer greater value than the available RBs—such as David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen and Derrius Guice, among other players spitting snaps.

However, adding Boyd and Moore meant having Austin Ekeler and Rashaad Penny as backups with Dion Lewis as a low-upside handcuff. That's not an awesome spot.

Strategy

In a standard league, elite running backs provide the highest value. The combination of consistent touches and regular touchdown opportunities is foolish to ignore, particularly at No. 2 overall.

Starting with McCaffrey, Smith-Schuster and Evans likely won't bring much objection beyond personal preference. Selecting a quarterback in the fourth round—and the first one picked—is where the strategy begins to spark debates.

But the internal question asked and answered was pretty simple: Would I rather have Mahomes and a running back or two of Derrick Henry, Marlon Mack, Josh Jacobs, Mark Ingram and Sony Michel?

Yeah, Mahomes and a back.

From there, it was a matter of identifying value—Boyd, given A.J. Green's injury, for example—to fill out depth.

One critical note is mock drafts regularly devolve into an auto-pick carnival. For whatever reason—early-round focus, time constraints, loss of interest, and so on—people leave. While it's entirely out of your control, it affects strategy.

Tight ends flew off the board between my next picks, and I felt the eighth round was a point of diminishing returns at the position. Waiting for Ebron and Hockenson seemed like a decent move, though having two tight ends is unnecessary.

Still, there are worse results than pairing a guy who caught 13 touchdowns last year with a hyped rookie expected to start in a pass-heavy offense (on a bad team).

Lutz and the Titans D/ST completed the mock. While some fantasy owners like to have a set-it-and-forget-it combination at those positions, I prefer streaming on a weekly basis depending on matchups. The choices matter, but they're tougher to predict.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR

Pittsburgh Steelers star JuJu Smith-Schuster is a man of his word.

Upon seeing a fan who had a tattoo of the Steelers logo on his head, Smith-Schuster signed the fan's head and promised him season tickets if he got the autograph tattooed as well. After the fan held up his part of the bargain, Smith-Schuster responded in kind.

"He might, honestly," the 2018 Pro Bowler initially said when asked if the fan would get his signature immortalized, per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler. "If he does, that's lit. If he gets that tattooed on his head, I'll get him any tickets to any game so if he's out there watching this ... yes."

Based on the Steelers' official site, the team has a waiting list for season tickets and the cost of a personal seat license starts at $1,250.

As long as you're willing to walk around with the team's logo—and Smith-Schuster's autograph—permanently inked into your scalp, the fan came away a pretty good trade.

Despite exchanging harsh words on social media, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn't hold any grudges against Antonio Brown.

Per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler, Smith-Schuster addressed his feelings toward his former teammate:

"The man's a role model. In that situation, I didn't want it to end like that. I have no hard feelings against him. Obviously if we're ever in the same room, I'm going to say 'What's up' to him. I think hatred is a huge word to use against somebody. At the end of the day, he's a great player, he comes out every day with work ethic. He worked hard. Other than that, I don't have anything toward him like that."

Brown ignited the Twitter war in April with this response to a fan pointing out Smith-Schuster was named the Steelers' 2018 MVP:

The play Brown referenced is when Smith-Schuster lost a fumble as Pittsburgh was driving in the final minute of a 31-28 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 16. 

After catching wind of Brown's tweet, Smith-Schuster offered a response:

Brown escalated things by posting an old message Smith-Schuster sent him on Instagram while at USC asking for advice to help him improve his game.

Things have been mostly quiet since then, with Smith-Schuster saying Wednesday he doesn't "want to be the center of attention for causing problems."

Pittsburgh dealt Brown to the Oakland Raiders in March as the franchise looks to move forward following a disappointing 9-6-1 record in 2018. The Steelers missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2013. 

Smith-Schuster certainly appears ready to take over as the No. 1 option for Ben Roethlisberger. The 22-year-old led the team with 111 receptions and 1,426 yards last season. 

BR Video

JuJu Smith-Schuster attended a high school prom after a fan's date canceled on him. JuJu danced the night away with Anthony Molinaro and his classmates and even threw shade at Antonio Brown.

Watch the video above for more about the night these high school students will never forget.

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JuJu Smith-Schuster was living it up at a high school prom over the weekend. So much so, in fact, that he was even vibing to some chants about his former teammate, wide receiver Antonio Brown. (Warning: Video contains profanity.)

Smith-Schuster attended the Chartiers Valley High School in prom in Pennsylvania after learning of a student there who needed a date.

As for any lingering animosities between Brown and Smith-Schuster, the pair exchanged heated tweets in April after Brown didn't seem to appreciate the suggestion that Smith-Schuster might have been more valuable than him in 2018.

Sometimes, you just have to dance your troubles away while a bunch of teenagers yell obscenities about your former teammate. Or...something like that. 2019 is weird.

BR Video

Jets safety Jamal Adams burns Steelers standout JuJu Smith-Schuster in this must-see race. 

Brought to you by BMX x B/R 

BR Video

JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Jamal Adams. Terrell Owens vs. DeAndre Hopkins. Four Pro Bowlers, one winner. See who wins The Ultimate Drive.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said Wednesday he'll make himself available to the media every day throughout the 2019 NFL season.

"I'm not going to be an assh--e," he told reporters.

Smith-Schuster has made a concerted effort to differentiate himself from longtime Steelers No. 1 receiver Antonio Brown, who was traded to the Oakland Raiders in March.

In October, Brown said he often spoke with Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger about their stance of the media playing a role in trying to stir about issues between them.

"Me and Ben laugh about you guys, creating drama, writing about us," he said. "Trying to create adversity and distractions. We actually text about it, laughing, communicate a lot on text message about you guys."

Meanwhile, the apparent feud between the Steelers' top 2018 targets amplified in April when Brown replied to a post about Smith-Schuster being listed as the team's MVP:

Smith-Schuster replied just over an hour later:

Now the question is whether Brown will reply to the latest apparent jab.