Mitchell Trubisky Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin made it official Thursday by announcing that QB Mitchell Trubisky will start the preseason opener. He has been working as the lead QB throughout offseason practices and training camp, so this comes as no surprise. We'll see exactly how Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett work in behind Trubisky.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky is the “clear favorite” to start Week 1. Fowler points out Trubisky’s improved play in recent practices. HC Mike Tomlin even admitted that Trubisky would start should the team need to play a game today. Meanwhile, Fowler writes that “there’s not much feeling” the Steelers will “rush” rookie Kenny Pickett into the starting lineup. With Mason Rudolph turning some heads in camp, this situation might eventually see all 3 guys making starts in 2022.

The Steelers’ initial “unofficial” depth chart has rookie QB Kenny Pickett 3rd behind Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. That matches with reports of training-camp reps. We’ll see whether preseason action alters the order — as well as how true the depth chart is

Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett has been “erratic and inconsistent” early in training camp, per The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. Meanwhile, Mitch Trubisky has been “progressing” and Mason Rudolph — get this — “continues to shine.” Through 3 practices, all 1st-team reps have gone to Trubisky; all 2nd-team reps to Rudolph. Translation: Pickett, despite his Round 1 status, is an extreme long-shot to start the opener at Cincinnati.

ESPN's Brooke Pryor gives Steelers QB Kenny Pickett a 2% chance of winning the Week 1 starting job. "Throughout OTAs and minicamp, Pickett consistently took third-string reps behind [Mitchell] Trubisky and [Mason] Rudolph," Pryor writes. "To supplant Trubisky as the starter by Week 1, Pickett would have to be the second coming of Johnny Unitas as soon as he hits training camp." We'd give Pickett a better shot at starting opening day just because the competition is so underwhelming. But we've also heard other Steelers beat writers call Trubisky the heavy favorite for the Week 1 nod. We're still projecting Pickett to start more games than Trubisky this year, but it's tough to like the rookie in best-ball drafts if he won't start the whole season.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett practiced with the third-team offense this offseason, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. While a contender for the starting job, Pickett has an “uphill battle” to start the opener at Cincinnati, per Pryor. Outside of superflex leagues, it's easy to avoid Pittsburgh QBs in 2022 fantasy drafts.

Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo believes QB Kenny Pickett must “blow their doors off to beat out [Mitch] Trubisky to start the season opener.” We’d be surprised if Pickett doesn’t start games in 2022. But the point stands that Trubisky — with 50 career starts — has the upper hand early on. Our current QB projections have Pickett starting the majority of Pittsburgh's games next season.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin confirmed that 1st-round QB Kenny Pickett will be given a chance to start Week 1. “Yeah, he certainly has a chance,” Tomlin said. “We felt he came ready made and hopefully that’s an asset to him being ready — if performance dictates.” We’d call Mitch Trubisky the favorite to start come September, but he’ll likely be on thin ice.

The Steelers grabbed QB Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett spent 5 years at Pittsburgh, starting most of the past 4. It wasn’t until 2021 that he broke out, though, throwing for 4,319 yards and 42 TDs. That more than doubled his career total for TD tosses. Pickett brings above-average mobility (72nd-percentile speed score for the position), but he has drawn comparisons with Andy Dalton and Teddy Bridgewater. We see limited fantasy football upside here, but Pickett stands a good chance to beat out QB Mitchell Trubisky this summer. That’s a situation to avoid in early fantasy drafts.

The Steelers have agreed to a 2-year deal with QB Mitchell Trubisky, according to multiple reports. It's a sensible fit for both sides. Trubisky gets another shot at starting, after a year in Buffalo. Pittsburgh gets a stopgap type with a much higher ceiling than Mason Rudolph presents. We don't believe this move keeps the Steelers from being in the market for a QB in this year's NFL Draft, but Trubisky's arrival makes it less of a glaring need. Assuming Trubisky hits Week 1 as the Pittsburgh starter, he could be especially good for WR Chase Claypool. Each of Trubisky's 1st 3 NFL seasons found him earning better Pro Football Focus passing grades in the deep range (20+ yards downfield) than intermediate or short. Claypool sported 11.4-yard and 13.2-yard average depths of target the past 2 seasons -- according to Pro Football Reference -- compared with 8.5 and 7.9 for Diontae Johnson. As for the QB himself, Trubisky has displayed top-12 fantasy-scoring potential and makes for an intriguing best-ball option anywhere outside that range.

Update: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Trubisky is getting $14.25 million over 2 years, with incentives that could make it worth up to $27 million. Clearly, the Steelers aren't committing to Trubisky but building in financial upside in case he proves truly starter-worthy.

Bills HC Sean McDermott told the media Monday afternoon that QB Josh Allen has been diagnosed with a foot sprain. He made no mention of a toe injury. McDermott also said that Allen has a "chance" to play vs. the Panthers on Sunday, so it sounds like his availability is in some doubt. QB Mitchell Trubisky is Buffalo's backup. We'll keep you updated on Allen's status all week.

The Bills inked QB Mitchell Trubisky to a 1-year deal. He goes from #2 overall pick to backup in the span of 4 years. Trubisky is obviously off the redraft radar, while his dynasty value continues to dwindle. He'll be 27 when he hits free agency again next offseason.

NFL Network reports that the Bears are expected to sign QB Andy Dalton to a 1-year deal worth $10 million, with a $12.5 million max. That sounds like the contract Ryan Fitzpatrick is getting in Washington and points to Dalton likely taking over the starting gig. Dalton is a better option than Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky but doesn't present a big upgrade to the fantasy outlooks of other guys in the Chicago offense.

Update: "They told me I was the starter," Dalton said, according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic.

Bears QB Nick Foles (hip) is inactive for tonight’s game against the Packers. QB Mitchell Trubisky gets the start in his place.

Bears QB Nick Foles (hip) is listed as doubtful for Sunday night’s game against the Packers. So it’ll be Mitchell Trubisky back under center for Chicago. He chucked for 432 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs in plus matchups vs. the Lions and Giants to open the season before getting benched in Week 3. Trubisky brings some rushing upside but is still just a lower-end QB2 for Week 12.

Bears QB Nick Foles (hip) did not practice on Wednesday, while QB Mitchell Trubisky (shoulder) was a full-go. Chicago has 2 more practices before Sunday night's game against the Packers, but Trubisky looks like the early favorite to be under center for that one.

The Bears head toward Week 12 with injuries to both QBs. Nick Foles sustained a hip injury late in last Monday night's loss to the Vikings. Mitchell Trubisky entered that week with a shoulder injury and is still working back from it. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, HC Matt Nagy declined to say Monday who will start Sunday against the Packers, adding that a switch to Trubisky is "on the table." Tyler Bray came on to finish the Week 10 game after Foles' injury.

Bears QB Nick Foles hurt his right hip late in Monday night's loss to the Vikings and left the field on a cart. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Foles "is actually OK" and that initial testing found no fracture in the hip. Foles is headed for further testing, and the Bears get a Week 11 bye. If Foles does miss further time, Garafolo says there's a chance Mitchell Trubisky's injured shoulder will be ready after the bye. Tyler Bray replaced Foles for the final few plays on Monday night.

Bears HC Matt Nagy on Monday delivered the announcement we all expected. QB Nick Foles will start Sunday's game against the Colts. Foles, of course, came on and engineered a comeback win at Atlanta after the Bears yanked Mitchell Trubisky. Foles completed 16 of 29 passes for 188 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. That's not a stellar outing against a bad Falcons defense, but Foles should offer a bit more stability than Trubisky. He falls short of Trubisky, however, in fantasy upside without the rushing threat. Foles is only a waiver option for 2-QB and superflex fantasy football leagues, especially against an Indy defense that ranks among the league's best pass rushes. Nagy added that it's Foles' job going forward, rather than a week-to-week evaluation. We'll see what happens if/when Foles falters.