X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Breakouts, Busts, and Locks - Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 Outlook

Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2022 fantasy football team preview for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gladys' fantasy football sleepers, breakouts, busts, or safe picks on the Steelers based on ADPs.

Welcome back to fantasy football Breakouts, Busts, and Locks, a series on RotoBaller where our writers look at three key players on each NFL team. Today, we're talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers.

First, let’s clear the air. I am a devout Steelers fan. That doesn’t mean I can’t be objective, although I am more hopeful than most.

As far as breakouts, busts, and locks go, let’s clinically dissect this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers offense.

Editor's Note: Steer clear of costly draft mistakes with RotoBaller’s expert Fantasy Football Bust analysis. We break down overvalued players, potential letdowns, and risky ADPs to avoid, so you can build a smarter, safer roster.

 

Fantasy Football Breakout: Mitchell Trubisky

While it is true the Steelers shot their wad and picked quarterback Kenny Pickett 20th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft (more on that later), this does not preclude Trubisky from being the one under center this season.

Trubisky, the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, has had a tumultuous career.  The question then becomes was it talent or environment (yes, I am looking at you, Matt Nagy). Here is Windy City Gridiron Josh Sunderbruch's assessment of Trubisky and his Chicago tenure by Jeff Hartman:

More than half of his [Trubisky] struggles were due to forces outside of his control. He was given one of the worst receiver corps in the league in 2017, and he never really had a chance to settle into a consistent offense after that time.  [Matt] Nagy’s inability to adapt the scheme to the quarterback is consistent – I mean, at some point if the system fails with multiple starting quarterbacks, it’s not the player, it's the coach.

[Trubisky] was not a finished product when he came to Chicago, and he never showed a grasp for nuanced football.  He couldn’t make reads, and he struggled at times with playing hero ball.  He does not have “elite QB” talent.  He has “good QB talent” and he tries to play like he’s better than he is.

Now, I’m not predicting that Trubisky will be a superstar, only that his breakout performance will outplay his 14.05 ADP (on fantasyfootballcalculator.com) and play better than QB21 (his best on fantasypros.com).

Trubisky has wide receivers Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens, tight end Pat Freiermuth, and running back Najee Harris at his disposal.  This is his best arsenal since he got in the league, which incidentally will be good for Trubisky but may not be that great for his weapons.

Last season with the same weapons, Ben Roethlisberger ended the season QB21. Roethlisberger had 6.2 yards per attempt (30th), 6.7 air yards per attempt (32nd), 7.5 accuracy rating (22nd), and 14.3 fantasy points per game (23rd), all stats thanks to playerprofiler.com.

Not saying that Trubisky is Roethlisberger, but his stats are comparable to last season’s Roethlisberger even in Trubisky’s “bad years.” In 2020, Trubisky played 10 games, he averaged 6.9 yards per attempt (24th), 7.7 air yards per attempt (21st), 7.0 accuracy rating (31st), and 16.2 fantasy points per game (24th) with much inferior weapons (no disrespect to Allen Robinson).

Yes, Trubisky has trouble reading defenses, and okay there are questions about his accuracy. And then there is their subpar offensive line (whose blemishes were slightly nullified by the fact that their quarterback last season had the quickest release time of any quarterback 2.37 seconds) is ranked 30th by Pro Football Focus.

Trubisky is more athletic than Roethlisberger and can be considered a dual-threat quarterback, which will fit better in Matt Canada’s system. For his career, he has 203 rushing attempts for 1081 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns (no he isn’t Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray) but he is a dual-threat which raises his fantasy ceiling.

You aren’t going to go wild and draft him for your QB1 in single quarterback redraft leagues…but there is a very good…nay an excellent possibility that he will outplay the QB29 ranking he has in NFFC (National Football Fantasy Championship).

 

Fantasy Football Bust: Kenny Pickett

I believe it is my time to reiterate that a bust in this instance does not mean he flames out completely. It just means he will not live up to the preseason hype or the Pittsburgh Steelers draft capital hype.

When you are a quarterback drafted in the first round on a team that lost the only man who has started for the franchise since 2004, then you are expected to start. Not only start but (unless your name is Patrick Mahomes) start well.

And then there are the Vegas odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR per BETMGM

NAME ODDS
Kenny Pickett +500
Drake London +700
Treylon Burks +750
Breece Hall +800
Christian Watson +850
Garrett Wilson +1000
Chris Olave +1000

Pickett may very well be the best quarterback in a subpar quarterback class, but he is currently taking third-team reps exclusively. Not a worry for the dynasty players, but for redraft, it could be an issue.

Then there is the fact that for four years at the University of Pittsburgh, Pickett’s play was meh. He never had a season with a completion percentage higher than 61.6%, average yards per attempt peaked at 7.7, and he did not pass for more than 13 touchdowns in a season. Then in 2021, his completion rate rose to 67.2%, he averaged 8.7 yards per attempt and passed for 42 touchdowns. If he is a slow starter, then sitting a year is just the thing for him and our fantasy teams.

The Steelers do not appear in any hurry to make Pickett the starter. That sentence assumes that Pickett will beat out Trubisky for the starting position, which right now doesn’t seem likely. What about dynasty you ask? Stay tuned.

 

Fantasy Football Lock: Najee Harris

There is no such thing as a “sure thing” in life or fantasy football, but Harris in the backfield of the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers seems pretty damn close.

Last season, Harris finished as RB3 in fantasy football. He was second in rushes (307), first in targets (94), first in receptions (74), and fourth in rushing yards (1200). True, he averaged a disappointing 3.91 yards per carry and he was 28th in breakaway runs, having them on only 3.9% of his rush attempts. In this case, volume is king.

Harris’ has a current ADP of 6. Per Fantasy Pros, he is currently the fifth running back off the board two behind Christian McCaffrey, one behind Derrick Henry, and just above Dalvin Cook.

Harris will have a new quarterback under center this season, probably Trubisky but maybe Pickett. Either way, you aren’t worrying about that pesky running-back-by-committee with Harris. As head coach Tomlin recently stated on The Pivot podcast, Harris is the man in the backfield.

FantasyPros.com ranks the Steelers’ running backs strength of schedule as the 14th hardest schedule. That’s mid-range and something Harris can maneuver.

A new quarterback who will need to rely on the run game. A running back who thrives on volume. There is the narrative going around that the Steelers intend to “lessen his workload in Year 2”.  And then there is running backs coach Eddie Faulkner who realizes this may not be feasible, “To be honest, and people think I am crazy when I say this, but he’s just built for it. I am not saying just physically how he is built, but how he trains. He trains to play a lot of plays in a game.”

Forget the mumbling and the coach speak, both Harris’ ceiling and floor are high. His 94 targets and 14.5% target share may dip slightly, and his 84.5% snap share could decrease, but currently, in Pittsburgh, he is the only game in town in the backfield (no disrespect to Benny Snell Jr. or Anthony McFarland Jr.), and barring injury, that is tantamount to a fantasy lock.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Anthony Santander

Hoping to Hit Soon
Luis Robert Jr.

Returning in Short Order
Alex Bregman

Could Return Later This Week
Ketel Marte

Day-to-Day with Groin Tightness
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Hunter Greene

Suffers Setback on Monday
Philadelphia 76ers

Kyle Lowry Staying With 76ers
Kyle Anderson

Lands in Utah
Kevin Love

Traded to Jazz in 3-Team Swap
Norman Powell

Traded to Miami
John Collins

Dealt to Clippers
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied For 14 at Travelers Championship
Xander Schauffele

Finishes Tied For 61 at Travelers Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Tied For 17 at Travelers Championship
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For 11 at John Deere Classic
Viktor Hovland

Withdraws From Travelers Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For Second at Travelers Championship
Brian Campbell

Wins John Deere Classic
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 10 Points
Harrison Ingram

Limited on Sunday
Golden State Warriors

Isaiah Mobley Drops 16 Points
Ryan Rollins

Staying with Bucks
T.J. Watt

Pittsburgh Still Not Close on New Contract
Terry McLaurin

Still Not Pleased with Contract Situation
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Yu Darvish

to Make Season Debut on Monday
MLB

Nationals Fire Dave Martinez, Mike Rizzo
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
KaVontae Turpin

Arrested on Two Charges
Cole Ragans

to Begin Throwing on Monday
Theo Johnson

Prioritizing his Health this Offseason
Andrés Giménez

Andres Gimenez Hits 10-Day Injured List
Jermaine Burton

Continues to Show Growth
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Austin Cindric

Remains an Overrated Road Racer
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade may not Happen Until "August, September"
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Jock Landale

Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Moritz Wagner

Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Jaxson Hayes

Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF