James Washington, Steelers Fantasy Outlook with JuJu Smith-Schuster out Injured

Fantasy players and the Pittsburgh Steelers' aerial attack may be hard-pressed for production as Adam Schefter of ESPN reported wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will not play in Sunday' game against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a concussion and a knee injury.

Here is a look at what this means for some of the Steelers' other playmakers in the passing game.

James Washington

Smith-Schuster already suffered a knee injury and concussion during a November loss to the Cleveland Browns. James Washington finished as the team's leading receiver in that game with three catches for 49 yards.

While those numbers aren't impressive, fantasy players can take solace in knowing he led the team in receiving yards and was the de facto top option at the position. The performance also came right after he posted six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown during a win over the Los Angeles Rams.

That said, the Rams game is the only time Washington has found the end zone, finished with more than 69 receiving yards and made more than four catches this season.

Even without Smith-Schuster, the Oklahoma State product has a low ceiling in an inconsistent Steelers offense. He is worth flex consideration at best and only for those fantasy players who are thin at the wide receiver position.

Vance McDonald

Vance McDonald finished with three catches for 33 yards in the Browns game Smith-Schuster exited, although it marked the tight end's third straight contest with seven targets.

He also had seven targets in September when he tallied seven catches for 38 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

While McDonald doesn't rack up yardage as a downfield threat and still hasn't gone over 40 receiving yards in a game this year, his true value comes as a safety valve for quarterback Mason Rudolph. The increased target numbers in November suggest Rudolph developed more trust in that option, which should come as no surprise after McDonald amassed 610 receiving yards last year.

As with Washington, there is a limited ceiling even without Smith-Schuster given the inconsistent nature of Rudolph at quarterback.

Still, the lack of depth at tight end, the increased target numbers McDonald posted in November and the likelihood he will be featured more without Smith-Schuster deem him worthy of starting consideration depending on the matchup.