PITTSBURGH — Antonio Brown isn’t spending much time thinking about playing the New Orleans Saints without JuJu Smith-Schuster.

He doesn’t expect it to happen.

“I think he’ll be there for us,” Brown said.

His fellow receivers feel the same way. Smith-Schuster picked up a groin injury that limited him in practice on Thursday. He was seen in casual wear immediately after practice Friday in the Steelers locker room. Typically, Mike Tomlin doesn’t play players who don’t practice on Fridays. But Pittsburgh wideouts brushed off the prospect of facing the Saints without the team leader in receptions and receiving yards.

“Oh, JuJu’s playing," Ryan Switzer said. “I mean I’m not a doctor, but I know JuJu."

Switzer would pick up some of the snaps in Smith-Schuster’s absence as he typically lines up in the slot. Darrius Heyward-Bey noted the 2018 Stelers receiving corps is more flexible positionally than in years past.

Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner tends to mix up receivers' specific positions more, too, Heyward-Bey said. Eli Rogers made his season debut last week, playing in the slot. Fichtner said he can play outside as well while James Washington has also run the strong-side position in which Smith-Schuster also lines up.

Still, the personnel shiftings seem irrelevant with respect to Smith-Schuster’s health.

Said Switzer: “He’ll be out there.”

Smith-Schuster declined to speak to reporters Friday.