Steelers' Kenny Pickett: One To Stash (QB Preview)
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Despite the three interceptions, Pickett looked the part in his first NFL action. You can't start him in Week 5 against the Bills, but he should be rostered in a majority of leagues and has top-12 upside in the second half of the season if everything goes right.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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I don't want to start Pickett in Week 5 at Buffalo, but I would like to roster him if my quarterback situation is unsettled in a one-quarterback league. And he's a must-add where available in Superflex and two-quarterback formats. Don't worry about the three interceptions he threw in his first game action against the Jets in Week 4. One wasn't his fault and the second one was off a Hail Mary as time expired. Instead, focus on his 15 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and he could be a cheat code at the position if he uses his legs as expected. He's worth up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB in one-quarterback leagues and at least 25 percent in any Superflex or two-quarterback formats.
Pickett is listed as the top quarterback on Pittsburgh's Week 5 depth chart, confirming he'll make his first NFL start Sunday in Buffalo, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
As anticipated, the rookie first-round pick will supplant Mitch Trubisky as Pittsburgh's new starter after taking over for the second half of last week's 24-20 loss to the Jets. Though Pickett threw three interceptions in his NFL debut, he was at least able to provide a spark by completing 10 of 13 attempts for 120 yards to go with six carries for 15 yards and two scores, the second of which gave the Steelers a 20-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. Pickett didn't showcase major rushing ability in college and can't be counted on to be as useful of a contributor on the ground as he was in Week 4, but the 24-year-old at least displayed efficient passing in the preseason and shouldn't be as turnover prone as he was in his NFL debut. He'll make for a worthy speculative pickup in superflex leagues or formats that start two quarterbacks each week.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Expected to take over as starter
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The Steelers are expected to move forward with Pickett as their starting QB, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The Steelers have yet to confirm their starter for this weekend's game against the Bills, but after Pickett replaced Mitch Trubisky in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Jets, it looks like the 2022 first-rounder is poised to get his first NFL regular-season start Sunday on the road versus the 3-1 Bills. Pickett thus is a worthy roster addition for those in need of short-term signal-caller help or who are in QB-heavy fantasy formats.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Replaces Trubisky in second half
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Pickett took over for Mitch Trubisky to start the second half of Sunday's game against the Jets, ESPN Rich Cimini reports.
At the time, the Jets held a 10-6 lead, while Trubisky had completed seven of 13 passes for 84 yards and an interception. It remains to be seen if this leads to Pickett starting next Sunday's game against the Bills, but a strong effort in his NFL regular-season debut would no doubt support the chances of such an outcome.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Week 4 Waiver Priority List
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The Steelers are sticking with Mitch Trubisky for now, but a change could be coming soon if Pittsburgh loses again, especially in Week 4 to the Jets at home. You might want to be proactive and add Pickett, especially if he's available in any Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. He might not be any better than Trubisky, but he also could have the upside of being a low-end starter in deeper leagues. It could be worth the gamble for 1 percent of your remaining FAB in one-quarterback formats. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, Pickett is worth up to 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Might sit all season
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin plans to have Pickett 'sit-and-learn' all season long behind Mitch Trubisky, Fox's Jay Glazer reported on their morning preview show.
It isn't necessarily surprising that Tomlin, who has never had a losing season, would prefer to go that route. Moreover, it's a logical statement for a head coach to make when naming a veteran as the starter - it would be unusual if Tomlin came out and said that he plans to swap quarterbacks later in the season.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Named No. 2 QB
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Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday that Pickett will open the regular season as the team's No. 2 quarterback behind starter Mitch Trubisky, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
The Steelers created some uncertainty about Pickett's Week 1 role by listing him as the third quarterback behind Trubisky and Mason Rudolph on the depth chart the team released Monday, but Tomlin said Tuesday that Rudolph's listing ahead of Pickett was a "clerical" error, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. Pittsburgh has since updated its depth chart to list Pickett as the No. 2 option, and Tomlin noted that the rookie first-round pick will take all the backup reps in practice leading up to the Week 1 contest. Rudolph, meanwhile, is expected to be a healthy inactive while the other two signal-caller are available, leaving Pickett as the next man up to start should Trubisky miss time or lose the job for performance-related reasons at any point in 2022. The 24-year-old Pickett was sharp throughout the Steelers' three-game preseason slate, completing 29 of 36 attempts for 261 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Moves up to second on depth chart
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Pickett is listed as the Steelers' No. 2 quarterback on the team's most recent Week 1 depth chart released Tuesday, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Just one day earlier, the rookie first-round pick had been listed third on the depth chart behind Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, but Pickett will now flip spots with Rudolph as Sunday's season opener in Cincinnati approaches. Head coach Mike Tomlin is expected to formally name Trubisky as the team's starter later Tuesday, at which time more clarity on whether Pickett or Rudolph is the top backup should come. Pickett notably played ahead of Rudolph in the Steelers' exhibition finale and was an efficient passer in his first preseason (29 completions on 36 attempts for 261 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions), so he's more than deserving of opening the regular season as the team's No. 2 signal-caller.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Sits third on depth chart
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Pickett is listed as Pittsburgh's No. 3 quarterback on the team's Week 1 depth chart that was released Monday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.
Though head coach Mike Tomlin has yet to officially announce a starting quarterback for Sunday's season opener in Cincinnati, Mitch Trubisky's placement atop the depth chart along with his usage in the preseason implies that he'll be under center for Pittsburgh in Week 1. Pickett, a rookie first-round selection, received the chance to battle for the job in the preseason and showed an accurate arm while limiting mistakes during the exhibition slate, but Trubisky's greater body of experience likely was a major factor in the Steelers opting for the veteran option. Pickett's placement on the depth chart behind not only Trubisky but also Mason Rudolph is the bigger surprise, given that Pickett appeared in the preseason finale directly behind Trubisky while Rudolph worked with the third-string offense. Experience may be the prevailing reason why Rudolph is listed as the No. 2 option, but Pickett still may be the likelier candidate of the two to step in as the starter if Trubisky is benched or sidelined for any reason in 2022.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Still in the starting mix
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Pickett came in after Mitch Trubisky in Sunday's 19-9 preseason win over the Lions, completing 10 of 14 pass attempts for 90 yards.
Pickett came in with the second unit after Trubisky got the start as expected, but after the game head coach Mike Tomlin stated that he hadn't made a starting quarterback decision yet, according to Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. Mason Rudolph (zero passing yards on three attempts) also is in the mix, but it appears as though Trubisky and the rookie are the two frontrunners, with the former being the slight favorite based on experience. Pickett certainly has looked the part this preseason, but the Steelers' coaching staff may want a more-seasoned option to manage a talented group of young playmakers. Whoever Tomlin picks shouldn't affect too many fantasy decisions Week 1, as neither quarterback should warrant a start in standard formats.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Working with second-stringers
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Pickett will be the second quarterback to play for the Steelers in Saturday's preseason game at Jacksonville, entering the contest before Mason Rudolph, ESPN.com's Brooke Pryor reports.
Coach Mike Tomlin said he wants to give Pickett "more varsity action" since he already knows what he has in Rudolph. Although Pickett will be the second quarterback to enter Saturday's matchup, he's expected to see some work with the starting offense, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. It doesn't necessarily mean the rookie is moving up the depth chart, though that's certainly a possibility this year, down the road if not before Week 1. The division of practice and preseason reps so far points to Trubisky as the probable starter Week 1 at Cincinnati.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Works mainly with second-teamers
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Pickett worked mainly with the Steelers' second-team offense during Monday's practice session, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.
Pickett impressed during his preseason debut Saturday against Seattle, completing 13 of 15 pass attempts for 95 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing three times for 16 yards. He primarily worked with the third-stringers ahead of the preseason opener and was the third quarterback on the field behind Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph on Saturday. However, the team's coaching staff said that the rookie's progression to working with the second-team offense was planned ahead of time rather than being based on his performance. "Yeah, we've got a system in place," offensive coordinator Matt Canada said Monday. "Coach, we've had this thing mapped out since I don't know when. We'll continue to stay right on our plan and see where it goes." The Steelers haven't revealed much about their plans at quarterback early in camp, but Trubisky appears to be the frontrunner for the starting job. However, Monday's usage signaled that the team could have a plan in place to at least slot Pickett in as the No. 2 option to begin the year if he continues to progress well.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Gets work with second-stringers
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Pickett moved up to the second-team offense Monday for the first padded practice of training camp, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.
Pickett reportedly struggled, albeit in a relatively short session during which most of his snaps were hand-offs. The rookie first-round pick had worked with Pittsburgh's third-team offense for the most part so far, with Mitch Trubisky leading the starters and Mason Rudolph handling second-team work. Pickett could enter Week 1 as a gameday inactive if Rudolph outperforms him this summer.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett: Working as No. 3 QB
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Pickett has been the third quarterback through drills at training camp, behind presumed Week 1 starter Mitchell Trubisky and fourth-year pro Mason Rudolph, John Luciew of The Harrisburg Patriot-News reports.
Rudolph already has two years of experience with offensive coordinator Matt Canada but has thrown for only 2,366 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 384 career attempts (6.2 YPA). The Steelers went 5-4-1 in Rudolph's starts filling in for Ben Roethlisberger over the past three years, so it isn't a given that Pickett eclipses Rudolph on the depth chart by Week 1, even with a clear advantage in athleticism and draft status. The bigger question, of course, is when the rookie first-round pick will get his shot to start, which largely depends on the performance and health of Trubisky, who joined Pittsburgh on a two-year deal early in the offseason. The Steelers have deployed Trubisky as their first-team quarterback since the spring, now continuing the trend in the opening days of camp. Pickett will have a chance to shake up the competition Aug. 13, when the Steelers host the Seahawks in their preseason opener.
