JuJu, James Washington Fantasy Outlook After Ben Roethlisberger Elbow Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers now have to turn to backup quarterback Mason Rudolph after Ben Roethlisberger suffered an elbow injury in Sunday's 28-26 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.

According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, the Steelers plan to have Roethlisberger undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

One Steelers player told ESPN's Dianna Russini that Roethlisberger was dealing with elbow inflammation earlier in the week leading up to the game.

Pittsburgh selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft. The former Oklahoma State star didn't appear in a regular-season game as a rookie, which won't be reassuring news to fantasy owners who are relying on JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington.

Steelers offensive guard David DeCastro is optimistic about Rudolph, who finished 12-of-19 for 112 yards, two touchdowns and an interception Sunday.

Smith-Schuster is coming off a Pro Bowl appearance in 2018. He caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. His big year provided the team some level of confidence he could step up to replace Antonio Brown.

Through two games in 2019, Smith-Schuster has 11 receptions for 162 yards.

The switch to Rudolph will likely limit Smith-Schuster's big-play ability somewhat since Pittsburgh may not trust Rudolph just yet to make throws deep downfield.

Still, the former USC star had 166 targets in 2018, which were fourth-most in the NFL. He should get enough looks from Rudolph to remain in your lineup.

Washington will be a little tougher to gauge.

He had 16 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. Most fans likely remember his drop in a defeat to the Denver Broncos last November.

Brown's departure meant a slightly bigger role for Washington, who has registered four receptions for 74 yards so far.

Washington's fantasy ceiling suffers from the fact that he's clearly behind Smith-Schuster in the wide receiver hierarchy and also competing with Diontae Johnson, Vance McDonald and James Conner for targets.

Take Roethlisberger out of the mix, and Washington should head for the bench—if he isn't there already.