Likely playing before he was ready, Pickett had a rocky rookie
season for the Steelers. Making his first start in Week 4 for
an ineffective Mitchell Trubisky, Pickett struggled, throwing
eight interceptions and only two touchdowns in his first five
NFL games, going 1-4 in the process. Pickett and the offense became
more conservative and the rookie only tossed one more interception
over the final seven games he played.
Being shaky with the ball is expected from most rookie quarterbacks,
and Kenny took a South Parkesque beating behind a terrible line,
suffering multiple concussions. As long as those don’t become
habitual, things are shaping up well for Pickett and this Steeler
offense to make some fantasy noise. Pittsburgh added tackle Broderick
Jones in Round 1, and stole guard Isacc Seumalo from their cross-state
rivals. With a sneaky running floor (237 yards and three touchdowns
in just 12 games), an improved run game, and dynamic talent at
wide receiver, Pickett could be worth a late-round pick on a fantasy
team looking for an end of the draft value at QB.
After being nearly the entire Steeler offense in 2021, Harris’s
numbers took a dip last season. Down over 400 total yards and 33
receptions, Harris continued to be a volume driven, low efficiency
option. Yes the line was brutal, but Harris has yet to display much
burst and wiggle in the NFL. His single carry for 20+ yards was
by far the fewest among backs with 200 or more carries and over
his first 579 NFL totes, the longest rush he’s been able to muster
is a measly 37 yards. Because he’s fundamentally sound and durable,
he’ll remain the workhorse for this team, but Pittsburgh has to
get more splash plays from this running game if they are going to
compete in this loaded division. Don’t be shocked to see Jaylen
Warren, who ran for 4.9 yards per carry behind that same cruddy
o-line, steal some work from Harris. I think we’ve seen what Harris
is over his first two seasons, and it’s a borderline RB1/2 in all
formats with little room to climb.
After going undrafted last season, Warren joined the Steelers as
a free agent and quickly proved he belonged in the NFL despite borderline
measurables. Warren ended up playing a bunch of meaningful snaps
on a team fighting for a playoff berth, finishing with almost 600
total yards. He provided a surprising little pop to the offense,
giving the running game a burst. His 4.9 yards-per-carry average
was outstanding considering he was running behind one of the worst
run blocking units in the NFL. While he lacks standalone value because
of how much the Steelers rely on Harris, he’s definitely worth a
look as a sneaky handcuff.
No one ever tries to set records that will live in infamy, but Diontae
Joshnson did just that last season as he set the NFL record for
most receptions in a season (86) without scoring a single touchdown.
Such a fluky season hasn’t been seen in the NFL since 1961, when
Hall of Famer Raymond Berry failed to score on 75 receptions. But
as miserable as it was for Johnson himself, imagine the weekly agony
fantasy owners endured. Unfortunately, I was one of them. Despite
monster target numbers, Johnson simply couldn’t get much going with
the inconsistency at quarterback. He also didn’t help himself or
his team by continuing to be plagued by inopportune drops. While
2022 will likely go down as a statistical aberration, and Johnson
is sure to have some positive regression in the touchdown department,
I can envision a world where 2nd year man George Pickens becomes
the alpha in this pass offense. Johnson worked the field perfectly
under an offense built on the short pass, but those days have come
to an end. The addition of Allen
Robinson, and the healthy return of 2022 4th round speedster
Calvin Austin,
means Johnson’s path to another 147-target season could be filled
with roadblocks.
Coming into the NFL Pickens was compared to fellow Bulldog A.J.
Green, and boy were those comps accurate. Raw, but simply dazzling
at times with elite body control and athleticism, Pickens flashed
massive potential after a slow start to the season, and displayed
clear chemistry with fellow rookie Kenny Pickett. Pickens was
15th amongst receivers with 17 receptions of 20+ yards, and an
impressive 73% of his receptions went for 1st downs. Great numbers
especially for a rookie who only made 12 career collegiate starts.
The pair were dynamic at times, and have the opportunity to grow
into the next young QB-WR combo. If Pickens can continue to fine-tune
his route running, and scheme discipline, he has the athletic
talent to be a WR1. How quickly he and Pickett develop is going
to be key, but I love him as a high upside WR3 in standard leagues
who has league winning potential.
Despite a big uptick in receptions, Freiermuth took a hit in
the touchdown department last season, regressing to just two,
after scoring seven his rookie season. Plagued by an offense that
couldn’t get much done in the red zone (their 51.92 touchdown
% was 22nd in the NFL), Freiermuth couldn’t butter his bread
with enough touchdowns. With the talent out wide, and Harris gobbling
up catches at or near the line, Freiermuth’s value is going
to come from the number of times he gets into the endzone. In
a fantasy position that's in a near constant state of flux, Freiermuth
offers some solid, if unexciting late round value.
