Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Lamar Jackson are just some of the recent quarterbacks who became fantasy football league winners in their second NFL season. Will Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett be the next signal-caller to make that second-year jump into fantasy stardom?
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Kenny Pickett’s Fantasy Outlook
On paper, Pickett has a quality set of skill-position players around him heading into his sophomore season in the Steel City. The real question is whether or not Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Najee Harris, and Pat Freiermuth will be able to reach their fantasy potential with Pickett under center.
Some of Pickett’s numbers suggest that he isn’t afraid to push the ball down the field to utilize his talented wide receivers.
According to Inside Edge, Pickett targeted receivers at an average depth of 10.3 yards on passes to the middle of the field, which was the seventh-highest out of 27 qualified QBs.
On the flip side, Pickett left clean pockets far too often as a rookie. However, this could be a rookie QB simply adjusting to life in the NFL.
In addition, Pickett did struggle with some accuracy issues over the final couple of games to close the season. He also finished his rookie campaign with more interceptions than touchdowns, which is a hard stat to overlook.
Should You Draft Kenny Pickett at His Current Draft Day Price?
Ultimately, Pickett had an up-and-down first season under center, like most rookie quarterbacks do. Thus, a case can be made for or against Pickett taking a step forward in 2023.
He put some encouraging reps on tape to suggest he’s fully capable of finding success in the league, but Pickett’s tendency to abandon clean pockets and inconsistencies playing with anticipation has me hesitating to project a breakout season for him.
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That being said, Pickett’s current draft-day price in the 14th round of fantasy drafts mitigates any real risk of investing in him at the ADP price tag of QB25.
The upside alone is worth the pick.