Kenny Pickett
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
6’3″, 220 pounds
2022 Stats: 2,404 passing yards, 7 TD, 9 INT; 55 carries for 237 yards, 3 TD
2022 Summary
The Pittsburgh Steelers postponed the start of their Kenny Pickett era as long as they could last season, benching Mitch Trubisky for the rookie during Week 4 against the New York Jets.
In his first four games (three starts), Pickett threw seven interceptions (three in a game twice). Over his last eight games, seven games really as he was injured early in the game he was injured in, he threw just one interception. He missed Week 16 with a concussion.
It’s not that Pickett put up big fantasy numbers to back up taking care of the ball better. In the 10 games he played every snap in last year, his highest fantasy finish was QB12. But the Steelers were top half of the league in Expected Points Added (EPA) in his 10 games, it’s just that they struggled to finish drives. And while his rushing touchdown production all but dried up after two in his his first game (one after), he had 45 rushing attempts in those same 10 games (4.5 per game).
Then there’s this “clutch” stat for Pickett down the stretch of his rookie season.
ESPN’s Mike Clay sees a path to a finish as a top-12 fantasy quarterback for Pickett this year. That feels a tad aggressive, but it is where the breakout threshold can be set.
Kenny Pickett 2023 Outlook
Pickett has an improved offensive line in front of him, which is obviously a good thing. He also has a solid group of targets (Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson, Pat Freiermuth) to throw to, and a workhorse back (Najee Harris) to take pressure off him.
Expecting a big second-year breakout for Pickett this year, like we’ve seen from other first-round pick signal callers, is unlikely
2023 Projection: 3,410 passing yards, 25 TD, 13 INT; 275 rushing yards, 3 TD
Breakout Confidence Level: 55%
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