Should I Start Kenny Pickett In Week 5? Fantasy Football Outlook

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will make his first career start on Sunday on the road against the Buffalo Bills.

The first-round rookie didn’t play in the first three games after the Steelers named Mitchell Trubisky the starting quarterback. However, head coach Mike Tomlin made a change last week against the New York Jets.

After the veteran Trubisky could only muster six points in the first half, Tomlin benched him for Pickett. While the rookie couldn’t lead the Steelers to a victory over the Jets, the former Pittsburgh Panther completed 76.9% of his pass attempts and scored two touchdowns on the ground.

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Should I Start Kenny Pickett?

Ironically, the decision to bench Trubisky for Pickett came exactly five years to the day after the Chicago Bears benched Mike Glennon for a rookie Trubisky.

While the first-round pick had some solid moments in the game, he also had three interceptions and failed to throw a passing touchdown. However, Pickett displayed a strong connection with fellow rookie George Pickens.

Unfortunately for fantasy players, the rookie’s first NFL start will come against an elite Buffalo defense. The Bills have held quarterbacks to only 8.3 fantasy points per game this season, the fewest in the NFL. By comparison, the NFL average for fantasy points per game given up to quarterbacks is 16.1 this season.

Furthermore, the Buffalo has held quarterbacks under 190 passing yards in three straight games, including giving up only 144 passing yards and 13.1 fantasy points to Lamar Jackson last week.

In short, starting Pickett this week would be an awful decision.

Who Should I Consider Starting Instead?

Fantasy players who need a streaming option this week shouldn't consider the rookie. Instead, add one of these quarterbacks: Teddy Bridgewater, Ryan Tannehill, and Zach Wilson. All three are available in at least 80% of ESPN leagues.

Of the trio, my favorite option is Tannehill. The veteran quarterback is averaging 13.3 fantasy points per game this season, his lowest average since 2018. However, he scored only 0.9 fantasy points in Week 2 against the Bills and got pulled as the game was a blowout.

Yet, Tannehill is averaging 1.7 passing touchdowns and 17.5 fantasy points per game in the other three contests this season. Furthermore, he has a great matchup this week against the Washington Commanders. They have given up the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterback this season (21.2).

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