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I think we all agree that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will be better this season. We just don’t know how much better. Pickett came on late last season and while his stats weren’t great, his command of the offense and confidence showed a marked improvement resulting in much cleaner football.
ESPN reporter Mike Clay offered up some player comps for fantasy football in terms of players making a leap and his comparison for Pickett was Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Here’s what Graziano had to say about the comparison:
Carson Wentz (2017), Patrick Mahomes (2018), Lamar Jackson (2019), Kyler Murray (2020), Joe Burrow (2021) and Lawrence (2022) are recent examples of the many first-round QBs who broke out in their second season. None were as productive as rookies, which is notable here, as Pickett had some struggles (6.2 YPA, 12.8 fantasy PPF during 10 full games) in his first season. The good news is that weak efficiency simply isn’t a concern for first-year QBs, who generally make a big leap in Year 2. Rushing ability is becoming more important for the fantasy relevance of QBs and Pickett delivered in that department as a rookie, ranking sixth in carries and seventh in rush yards during those 10 games. An improved offensive line and upgraded goal line targets (Allen Robinson II, Darnell Washington) should help Pickett to step forward.
For Lawrence, the difference was less about yards and more about efficiency. He only threw for 471 more yards in 2022 but he saw his passing touchdowns go up to 25 from 12 and interceptions went down from 17 to only 8. These are absolutely the kind of changes Pickett needs to make next season, especially when it comes to touchdowns. Pickett got his interceptions under control by the end of the season but struggled to get the football into the end zone.
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