KennyPickett

News: 4 days agoSteelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Pickett won't be available for Thursday's game against the Patriots after undergoing successful tightrope surgery to address a right high-ankle sprain, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Spin: Pickett is expected to avoid a stint on injured reserve, which would keep him sidelined through Week 17. Nonetheless, the second-year quarterback will have to miss at least one game due to the injury that knocked him out of this past Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals. The Steelers are hopeful that Pickett's decision to get surgery will accelerate his recovery, but he still will have a tough time gaining clearance for the Steelers' Week 15 game in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 16. Mitch Trubisky will step in as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback Week 14, after he came on in relief of Pickett against Arizona and completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Pickett is entering his second NFL season after he was the only QB selected in the first round of the 2022 draft. The Pitt product played 100% of the offensive snaps in 10 games last season, but managed only seven TDs and 12.8 fantasy PPG during those games. His best weekly finish was 12th in Week 10. The good news is that quarterbacks tend to make a big leap in efficiency in Year 2, and Pickett has shown he can add value with his legs (he ranked sixth in carries and seventh in rushing yards among QBs during his 10 full games). Pittsburgh is slowly improving its offensive line and Pickett will have a good group of targets led by Diontae Johnson, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. The 25-year-old is a breakout candidate and fine late-round flier.