Fantasy Upside
Kenny Pickett will enter the season as the Steelers No. 1 quarterback. After being inserted in the lineup early last season, he threw for 2,404 passing yards in 13 games while completing 63% of his passes. No doubt Pittsburgh will stick with him as he goes through some more growing pains, but he did look better the second half of the season. Pickett is also capable of running the football as he scored three rushing touchdowns last season. He won't be in the top tier of rushing quarterbacks but does have more value then true pocket signal-callers. The Steelers have also made an effort to upgrade the offensive line which should help him overall.
2023 Fantasy Downside
Pickett really struggled to get the ball in the end zone. He finished 2022 with only seven touchdown passes while throwing nine interceptions. The weapons around him are average at best and he really doesn't have a true No. 1 receiver. Another negative is offensive coordinator Matt Canada was retained this season and his type of offense is counter productive to good fantasy numbers.
2023 Bottom Line
Pickett will improve in 2023, but not to the point where he should be drafted in the preseason unless you have a deep roster that can afford three quarterbacks. His passing yardage should eclipse the 3,000 yard mark, but if he threw 20 touchdown passes this season, that would be a surprise. Double-digit interceptions are very likely. Pickett is probably a year or two from becoming fantasy relevant.