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George Pickens had a career season in his first year in Dallas in 2025. Now, we could get a repeat performance in 2026 after the Cowboys placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pickens on Friday.

Under the non-exclusive franchise tag, Pickens can negotiate with other teams, but Dallas has the right to match any offer. And both sides will still have until mid-July to negotiate a potential multi-year deal, which is something the Cowboys have expressed interest in doing. If no long-term extension is finalized, Pickens will play out the 2026 campaign on a one-year, $28.8 million contract, which is fully guaranteed.

We hope this contract situation doesn't get messy and cause Pickens to miss any time in training camp. If he remains with the Cowboys as expected then he has the chance to be a low-end No. 1 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he will be worth drafting as early as Round 3.

Pickens came to Dallas prior to last season in a trade from Pittsburgh, and it was a fantastic deal for the Cowboys. He had career highs in catches (93), yards (1,429), touchdowns (nine) and targets (137), and he played all 17 games. He averaged a career-best 17.2 PPR points per game, which was No. 6 behind Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja'Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Rashee Rice.

Pickens had five games with more than 100 yards receiving, and he set a franchise record with five games of at least 130 yards receiving and a touchdown. According to ESPN, his 13 catches of at least 25 yards and 73 first-down receptions ranked in the top five in the NFL.

Now, while Pickens was great all season, he was a dominant force when CeeDee Lamb missed three games and the majority of another from Weeks 3-6 with an ankle injury. Pickens scored at least 17.8 PPR points in three of those four games and averaged 24.2 PPR points over that span, with five touchdowns.

Pickens staying in Dallas isn't great news for Lamb, who had a down year in 2025. He finished the season with 75 catches for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns on 117 targets in 14 games, and he averaged just 14.4 PPR points per game. It was his lowest reception and yardage total since his rookie season in 2020, and this was the worst touchdown total of his career.

We're counting on Lamb to bounce back in 2026, even with Pickens on the roster, and he should be drafted no later than Round 2 in the majority of leagues. But Lamb is no longer in the same tier as Nacua, Smith-Njigba, Chase and St. Brown, and you shouldn't reach for Lamb on Draft Day.

Pickens' return is great news for Dak Prescott, who passed for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2025, along with 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 21.9 Fantasy points per game, which was No. 7 among quarterbacks behind Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, Drake Maye, Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence.

This was the third time in Prescott's career that he passed for at least 4,500 yards and fourth time with at least 30 touchdowns. With his elite duo of receivers back, Prescott is worth drafting as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues with a mid-round pick.

The Cowboys have been aggressive so far this offseason by using the franchise tag on Pickens and signing Javonte Williams to a contract extension. Dallas should once again be a standout offense, and we like that as Fantasy managers.

We'll continue to monitor the situation for Pickens and if he'll get a long-term contract. As long as he doesn't hold out in training camp, Pickens has the chance to once again be an awesome Fantasy receiver in 2026.