George Pickens saw his fantasy football stock get unlocked during his first season in Big D, and the 25-year-old carries lofty expectations into 2026 as a result.
The big question is about the type of stat line he can provide if CeeDee Lamb stays on the field, a worry that drafters don’t seem to have.
Should You Draft George Pickens in Fantasy Football?
You can’t tell the story of the 2025 fantasy football season without mentioning Pickens.
As of early September, Pickens has an ADP of 24. The PFN rank for him is 22. He’s WR11 on the board, with a projected points per game of 15.5 this coming season. CeeDee Lamb is ranked over Pickens as the WR7, but I like Pickens more as a fantasy asset.
He exploded in 2025 alongside CeeDee Lamb, in part because Lamb missed a little bit of time. But with Dak Prescott throwing him the ball, he finished as the WR5 in both PPR and half-PPR leagues.
He had 93 catches for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns on 137 targets. His 22 receptions of 20-plus yards ranked fourth in the NFL, and his 0.63 EPA per target tied for third. His 2.35 yards per route run was top 10, nearly equal to Lamb’s, and his drop rate was half of Lamb’s. He accrued more than 120 yards after the catch over expectation across the entire year.
Pickens was a massive value addition who won leagues for some users. But now the cat is out of the bag. We know how good he is, and the conflict is valuing Pickens in comparison to Lamb in 2026.
Pickens was assigned the franchise tag this offseason and has more to prove to the Cowboys and countless potential free-agent suitors for 2027. We know the value of the Cowboys’ passing attack, with Dak at the helm, an offensive line with low turnover, and a volatile defense impacting game scripts. Dallas has been in the top 11 in passing percentage for the past three seasons. The defense should improve a little bit with the new additions, but youth on the roster still ensures that some of that volatility will remain.
Meanwhile, Pickens is the ultimate three-level threat. At 6’3″, 200 pounds, he can separate at multiple levels. He can stretch the field with his vertical speed. He can secure gravity-defying, body-controlled catches in tight spaces. He can also accrue yards after the catch. Most importantly, he’s got a chip on his shoulder.
If I can come away from any draft with either Lamb or Pickens in round 2, I’m personally targeting Pickens. He’s younger, he’s more talented, and he’s more dynamic with his big-play and TD potential. He proved in 2025 that he can take on elite volume as a true WR1.
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George Pickens’ Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
Pickens was better last season with CeeDee Lamb off the field, but I don’t understand why I see so many holding that against him.
Would you have preferred he failed?
This feels like the LeBron James record in the NBA Finals thing: if he lost earlier, you’d like his legacy more?
With Lamb on the field: 2.8 points per catch, 2.24 yards per route
With Lamb off the field: 3.7 points per catch, 2.61 yards per route
Yes, a decline, but let’s not get carried away. That 2.8 number is what Puka Nacua gave us last season, and the 2.24 one mirrors what Ja’Marr Chase produced in 2025. I think this duo is less like the current split between Chase/Higgins and more like the true coin toss we have in Chicago long-term with Rome Odunze/Luther Burden.
Both Dallas receivers are lineup locks; that goes without saying for annual leagues. For DFS purposes, I think I’m going to have a hard time going in this direction in a stack, simply because I worry that the target hierarchy between the two stars could be a moving target.
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Where Pickens Ranks Among 2026 Wide Receivers
- CeeDee Lamb | DAL
- Malik Nabers | NYG
- Drake London | ATL
- Nico Collins | HOU
- A.J. Brown | NE
- George Pickens | DAL
- Rashee Rice | KC
- Chris Olave | NO
- Zay Flowers | BAL
- Tee Higgins | CIN
- Jaylen Waddle | DEN
More rankings can be found in PFN’s PPR Wide Receiver Rankings.
