It only took a quarter of the season for Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin to call on rookie QB Kenny Pickett. The first-round draft pick (20th overall) now has all eyes on him as he tries to keep the Steelers competitive in the AFC.
Pickett was put into the game for the second half and showed everyone why he was the only QB selected in the first round. The former Pitt Panthers’ NFL debut saw him put up 120 yards through the air, completing 10/13 attempts. Pickett was deceivingly accurate, as his three incompletions were all interceptions, but let’s cut him some slack. He was also able to cash in twice on rushing scores in the red zone. Although the Steelers couldn’t pull off the victory, I’d consider Pickett’s performance a moral victory for all parties involved (except Trubisky, of course).
Moving Forward
Pickett showed true confidence throwing the ball downfield, something we hadn’t seen out of Mitchell Trubisky. Pickett’s willingness to let it fly is a great sign of his fantasy value. The Steelers have a great group of offensive weapons, headlined by second-year RB Najee Harris. Inserting Pickett into the lineup will only open up more opportunities for Harris. This move increases the stock for every pass-catcher in the offense as well. Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and Pat Freiermuth should at least be getting more big-play chances. The biggest winner, however, is rookie WR George Pickens. The 6’3” field-stretching receiver saw the ball come his way much more frequently in the short time he had playing with Pickett under center. We saw what Pickett was able to do at Pitt last season, supporting a Biletnikoff award-winning WR in Jordan Addison. “Pickett to Pickens” is going to be a call we could be hearing for years to come.
Dynasty Outlook
Kenny Pickett has one of the most coveted starting jobs in the NFL, one that we haven’t seen replaced since 2004. His stock was inevitably going to rise, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. He’s worth going after in Superflex leagues, especially for teams with question marks at the QB2 spot. Pickett’s first start is not an easy matchup, as the Steelers travel to Buffalo for a lunch date with the Bills. Wait, there’s more. The three matchups following the Bills include Tampa Bay, Miami, and Philadelphia. I’m not anticipating any sort of fantasy breakout in October for Pickett, but be patient. As Kenny Pickett gets more comfortable as an NFL QB, and the Steelers continue to rebuild their offensive line, it may be a quick turnaround from Big Ben in Pittsburgh. The Steelers rarely miss in the draft. So far, Kenny Pickett looks poised to continue that trend.
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