The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially made the switch to Kenny Pickett. Here’s why fans could gamble on a futures bet with a good payout.
Just like that, it’s going to be the Kenny Pickett Show moving forward for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin announced that the rookie first-round pick will take over the reins at the QB position with Trubisky taking a back seat.
Fans are curious to see how this will affect the team moving forward. Despite a turnover-riddled debut that included three interceptions and a fumble on a toss to RB Jaylen Warren (that was recovered by the Steelers), Pickett certainly provided this team with a spark. His energy was through the roof and it matched that of the crowd noise at Acrisure Stadium last Sunday.
Now that the change is official, fans are interested in making a worthwhile gamble need to act fast. As of Tuesday afternoon, Kenny Pickett had +800 odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, according to Fanduel Sportsbook. In the coming week, these odds will no doubt shift as Pickett is the only rookie quarterback projected to play out the remainder of the 2022 season as the starter for his respective team.
Recently, Peter Dewey of BetSided encouraged readers to act fast and take Pickett to win OROTY. To begin the season, Pickett and fellow Steelers draft choice, George Pickens, were tied for the best odds of claiming this award. Right now, there are four players who have better odds of doing so: Saints WR Chris Olave, Falcons WR Drake London, Packers WR Romeo Doubs, and Texans RB Dameon Pierce.
Steelers QB has a leg up on the OROTY competition
It’s true that Kenny Pickett is getting a bit of a late start. Players like Olave, London, and other impressive young rookies have already had four games to start compiling stats and showcase their skills. However, Pickett still has an advantage as a quarterback and 13 games to prove himself on the horizon.
In today’s passing league, this award is apt to go to a quarterback who is at least competent as a rookie. In fact, it was a QB who brought home this award two of the past three seasons (Justin Herbert in 2020 and Kyler Murray in 2019). Right now, Patriots rookie Bailey Zappe is the only other quarterback currently playing, but he projects to go back to the bench once Mac Jones has recovered from his ankle injury.
It certainly looks like Pickett will be the only rookie QB this year to finish out the season as the starter. Assuming his statistical production is somewhat respectable, that could be enough to overcome the late start.
At +800 odds, betting on Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett to win Offensive Rookie of the Year is a worthwhile gamble. In the coming weeks, you can bet that Pickett’s odds will rise to the top of the list — making the payout worse. Now is the time to bet on Pickett while the payout is still great.