JuJu Smith-Schuster has quickly become a fan favorite for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Can the third-year wide receiver become Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target with the departure of Antonio Brown?

This offseason, the Steelers decided to trade Brown after the receiver requested to be dealt after having issues with people within the organization. With Brown gone, that leaves the door wide open for Smith-Schuster to be the top wideout in the Steelers offense.

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Smith-Schuster has showcased his potential to be one of the premier pass-catchers in the NFL. Last season, he hauled in 111 receptions, 1,426 yards, and seven touchdowns. Those numbers landed him the first Pro Bowl nod of his young career.

Now, things are a bit different for Smith-Schuster in 2019. With no Brown, the 22-year old wide receiver is going to be relied upon as a leader on the team. That is a challenge that Smith-Schuster is ready to accept for the upcoming season.

So what type of year should we all expect from Smith-Schuster in 2019? His first two seasons have been spectacular but his third season we should see another year of growth from the young receiver.

Here are three numbers to target for JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2019.

3. 14 Yards Per Reception

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers
ClutchPoints

Coming out of college at USC, Smith-Schuster was known to be a big-play threat coming into the NFL. The Steelers took Smith-Schuster in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft in hopes he could help provide some assistance to the offense.

In his rookie campaign in 2017, Smith-Schuster would help stretch the field for the Steelers. The rookie wideout had 15.8 yards per reception, showing his skillset as a deep threat.

In just two seasons, Smith-Schuster has two catches that have gone 97 yards for touchdowns. If the Steelers receiver can continue to catch 90-yard passes, his yards per reception will continue to rise. Although, his yards per reception went down in 2018 to a 12.8.

Expect that number to jump up once again in the 14 yards per reception range with no Brown on the offense.

Roethlisberger loves to take his shots downfield and Smith-Schuster is his best option down the field.

2. 10 Touchdowns

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
CP

Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Smith-Schuster has been second fiddle to Brown. That has shown with the touchdown discrepancy between the two from 2017-2018.

In those two seasons, Brown tallied 24 touchdowns compared to Smith-Schuster's 14 touchdowns. Roethlisberger loved looking in Brown's direction when the Steelers needed to score. That led to Brown getting the majority of the touchdowns in the past two seasons.

That will be no more as Brown is now with the Oakland Raiders. Therefore, someone is going to have to make up for the immense amount of production that Brown leaves behind. Who will make up for the 15 touchdowns that Brown scored in 2018?

Smith-Schuster will slot into the same spot that Brown held for nine seasons in Pittsburgh. Thus, allowing Smith-Schuster to see the bulk of the targets and will get more opportunities to score.

The Steelers' Pro-Bowl wideout has yet to total double-digit touchdowns in a season but will do so in 2019.

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1. 70% Catch Percentage

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Antonio Brown

One of the impressive skills that Smith-Schuster possesses is strong hands to go along with his electrifying speed. In his rookie season, the Steelers young pass-catcher was able to corral 73.4% of the passes that came his way.

Then, last year, he saw that number dip a bit with more targets coming in his direction. Smith-Schuster would catch 66.9% of his targets and would drop six passes throughout the season. The Steelers receiver was tied for sixth in the NFL in drops.

This season, Smith-Schuster will be ready to replace Brown by showing he has phenomenal hands like his former counterpart. As Smith-Schuster catches more passes, that allows Roethlisberger to build even more trust with him.

At 22-years old, there is still room for growth for the USC product which is the scariest part.

Hauling in 70% of the passes thrown his way in 2019 would be a great start for Smith-Schuster's rise to stardom.