Mitchell Trubisky Has Low Fantasy Upside in Pittsburgh

The King is dead. Long live the King. With Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers took a step to address the cavernous void he leaves on the depth chart by signing QB Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year deal. All sarcasm aside, Trubisky does figure to be the starter with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins also in the mix to compete.

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Once the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Trubisky had an up-and-down stint with the Chicago Bears, at points flashing major upside but generally being regarded as a massive bust. He spent this past season backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo, where he also got to play under new Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Despite signs pointing to a reunion with Daboll in New York, the Steelers will get to attempt a retread with Trubisky.

Though not widely viewed as a running quarterback, Trubisky does have mobility that was on display during his time as a starter with the Bears and in the RPO-heavy offense he played in at the University of North Carolina. In 2018, Trubisky ran the ball 68 times for 421 yards and three scores. He also posted his best season-long fantasy finish that season, ranking 15th among quarterbacks in fantasy scoring. 

Of course, we’re a long way from 2018. In Pittsburgh, Trubisky is far from guaranteed to start. The Steelers did give him a two-year deal, but word on the salary has yet to materialize. But even as the starter, it’s tough to be bullish about his fantasy prospects. Yes, Trubisky will be throwing the ball to Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth along with one of the league’s top weapons out of the backfield in Najee Harris. But in a best-case scenario, we’re looking at borderline QB2 numbers for Trubisky. 

That also means that the fantasy arrow is pointing down for the aforementioned Johnson, Claypool and Freiermuth. It’s not just that we have a less skilled player under center than what were used to with Ben Roethlisberger, but we are also likely to see the Steelers shift to a more run-heavy approach. While that’s bad news for the pass catchers, Harris doesn’t really see a negative impact here. As the centerpiece of the offense, he’ll remain one of the league’s highest-volume backs and is cemented as a borderline top-five fantasy option.