Rashid Shaheed has been the best receiver on a surprising New Orleans Saints team, while George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers are still adjusting to a new offense and a new quarterback.
So which wide receiver is the best pick for fantasy football managers in Week 3? Here’s the fantasy outlook for each player.
Projecting Rashid Shaheed and George Pickens’ Fantasy Output in Week 3
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Shaheed is the player to start. His projected 10.9 points include three receptions and 52 receiving yards. That stat line narrowly outperforms the consensus for Pickens (10.5 fantasy points), despite his projections (three receptions, 55 receiving yards) actually matching or surpassing those of Shaheed.
Shaheed is projected to have a slightly higher fantasy point output because of the projected rushing yards. Shaheed is projected to have four rushing yards, while Pickens is projected to have only one.
My ranking of these two wide receivers aligns with the consensus.
Shaheed is simply playing too well to be left out of lineups, especially when the choice is a Steelers’ receiver facing a tough defense in the Los Angeles Chargers.
Shaheed’s Week 3 Fantasy Outlook
Shaheed is off to the best start of his young career, with 169 receiving yards (eighth-most in NFL) and being one of just 11 players who have at least two receiving touchdowns.
The solid start is really an extension of the end of last season; Shaheed had a receiving touchdown and at least 15 fantasy points in two of his final three games. This means that Shaheed has a touchdown reception in four of his last five games.
Rashid Shaheed. He makes plays. 💨
🎥 https://t.co/KlYFEtUtwd https://t.co/5BkYyrjhkq pic.twitter.com/9SOzypmMW7
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 21, 2024
Although only two weeks into the season, Shaheed has been a top-10 fantasy performer at the wide receiver position, ranking 10th in fantasy points (32.1), all while being targeted just nine times total over the first two games. Among the top 26 wide receivers in fantasy scoring, only one other player — Jayden Reed of the Green Bay Packers — has been targeted fewer than 10 times this season (Reed has eight targets).
His 24.1 yards per reception ranks third in the NFL among players with at least five catches this season, and his two touchdown receptions have gone for 59 and 70 yards. Clearly, Shaheed has the big-play capability that fantasy managers desire in their lineups.
Pickens’ Week 3 Fantasy Outlook
While Shaheed ranks 10th in fantasy scoring, Pickens ranks 42nd at 18.4 points. Pickens does lead the Steelers in both receptions (8, tied with tight end Pat Freiermuth) and receiving yards (114), and he’s the only player on Pittsburgh averaging 10 or more yards per reception (14.3).
Pickens remains a big-play threat, as he owns the highest yards per reception average in the NFL (17.7) since the start of last season (min. 25 receptions).
MORE: Soppe’s Week 3 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em — Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
But while Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is getting generally good marks for his performance this season, this is still a team that ranks in the bottom five in passing offense, generating only 121.5 passing yards a game (29th).
Throw in the fact that the Steelers are taking on a Chargers team that ranks sixth in passing defense (147.0 yards per game allowed), and this just doesn’t feel like a good spot for fantasy managers to put Pickens in their lineups — especially if the other option is Shaheed.
Stats in this article are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.