Pickens recorded two receptions on four targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over Denver.
The Steelers took an early lead and were content to rely on their defense and ground game to come away with a win. That, combined with a tough matchup against Patrick Surtain, limited Pickens' opportunity and production Sunday. Pittsburgh is likely to employ a similar game plan against the Chargers -- another conservative offensive team -- in Week 3, which could lead to a quiet performance from Pickens.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Pickens had a solid game in Week 1 at Atlanta with Justin Fields at quarterback with six catches for 85 yards on seven targets, and hopefully Pickens can do something similar in Week 2 at Denver. But I don't like this matchup for Pickens against the Broncos since he'll likely see plenty of coverage from Patrick Surtain Jr. He just shut down DK Metcalf in Week 1 with three catches for 29 yards on four targets, and Surtain can make things difficult for Pickens in this matchup. I would only start him in three-receiver leagues in Week 2.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Racks up 85 yards
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Pickens recorded six receptions on seven targets for 85 yards in Sunday's 18-10 win over the Falcons.
The Steelers were extremely run-heavy with Justin Fields under center, as they recorded 41 rushes as a team compared to just 23 pass attempts. That resulted in limited volume for most of the team's pass catchers, with Pickens being the only exception. He did the majority of his damage on two long receptions that went for 40 and 33 yards. Pickens' big-play ability will help him put up big production on limited volume in the Pittsburgh offense, but he's still likely to be inconsistent as the season progresses.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Two catches in final rehearsal
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Pickens recorded two catches on two targets for 26 yards in Saturday's 24-17 preseason loss to the Lions.
Pickens appeared in one drive with Russell Wilson under center and was targeted twice. The latter was an explosive catch as he ran deep across the middle of the field for a 32-yard gain. Pickens is unquestionably the top pass catcher in Pittsburgh and should be set to receive a large number of targets, barring a late addition to the wide receiver corps.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Narrowly misses acrobatic catch
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Pickens recorded one reception on two targets for four yards in Saturday's 9-3 preseason loss to the Bills.
Pickens played with Russell Wilson in Saturday's game after catching passes from Justin Fields in Pittsburgh's first preseason contest. He had a quiet stat line, though the offensive line struggled and failed to give Wilson consistent time to throw. Pickens also narrowly missed out on a highlight reel catch on his final drive, as he was ruled to have not tapped down his second toe as he was falling out of bounds.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Catches two Fields passes
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Pickens caught both of his targets for 25 yards in Friday's 20-12 preseason loss to the Texans.
Pittsburgh's starters played only one quarter, but Pickens showed a nice rapport with Justin Fields, who started at quarterback with Russell Wilson getting the night off. Regardless of who is under center for the Steelers come Week 1, Pickens is primed to lead Pittsburgh's receiving corps. The Steelers have two more preseason games left before then, including a Saturday, Aug. 17 matchup versus the Bills.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Tallies 65 total yards in loss
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Pickens secured five of 11 targets for 50 yards and rushed once for 15 yards in the Steelers' 31-17 wild-card loss to the Bills on Monday afternoon. He also lost a fumble.
Pickens had serviceable numbers overall and co-led the Steelers in receptions while setting the pace in targets. However, it was largely a frustrating afternoon, beginning with a fumble on the Steelers' 29-yard in the latter portion of the first quarter that was eventually confirmed via replay, and that led to a touchdown on Buffalo's first play after gaining possession. Pickens also was the intended receiver on Mason Rudolph's fourth-down pass with 4:53 remaining that ended in an incompletion but also included what appeared to be a missed pass interference call that would have given the Steelers new life via a first down. Pickens finished the regular season with an impressive 63-1,140-5 line across 17 games despite subpar quarterback play, so he could be in for an even bigger season in 2024 if there is more stability under center.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Start
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After Pickens had his big game in Week 16 against Cincinnati with four catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns on six targets, I doubted him last week at Seattle. And he proved me wrong with seven catches for 131 yards on nine targets. He's now scored at least 20.1 PPR points in each of his past two games, and he appears to have a great connection with Mason Rudolph, who is starting again in Week 18 at Baltimore. The Ravens are expected to rest several starters on defense, and Pickens should be considered a solid No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. Keep in mind that he also had six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets against the Ravens in Week 5.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Another big performance
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Pickens recorded seven receptions on nine targets for 131 yards in Sunday's 30-23 win over the Seahawks.
Pickens continued to show rapport with Mason Rudolph, topping 100 receiving yards for the second consecutive game. That production came primarily on a trio of long gains of 37, 34 and 24 yards, though Pickens has also been his target volume tick back up in recent weeks as he's seen at least six opportunities in four straight contests. That bodes well for his potential to produce again in a pivotal Week 18 matchup against the Ravens.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Sit
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Pickens popped off in Week 16 against the Bengals with a career game of four catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns on six targets for 35.5 PPR points. It was awesome to watch, including a ridiculous 44-yard catch along the sideline just before halftime. He showed you his big-play ability and that he can dominate a game, but unfortunately that hasn't happened often this season. Prior to Week 16, Pickens had scored 8.8 PPR points or less in six of seven games, with no touchdowns over that span. Now, the game against Cincinnati was the first one with Mason Rudolph under center, and hopefully more big stat lines are ahead, including Week 17 at Seattle. But the Seahawks have held A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and DeAndre Hopkins to 12 catches for 126 yards and no touchdowns in the past two games on 19 targets. I would only use Pickens in three-receiver leagues in Week 17, and he's more of a bust alert than
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Steelers' George Pickens: Quiets critics with career game
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Pickens caught four of six targets for 195 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 34-11 win over the Bengals.
After a tumultuous week in which Pickens' effort in recent games was called into question, the second-year wideout rewarded coach Mike Tomlin's decision to keep him in the lineup by taking a slant to the house for a career-long 86-yard touchdown on Pittsburgh's second offensive play. Pickens added a spectacular 44-yard catch along the sideline in the two-minute drill to set up a 50-yard Chris Boswell field goal, which gave the Steelers a 24-0 lead heading into halftime. He got free for another long touchdown in the third quarter, this time hauling in a deep ball for a 66-yard score. This was the best game of Pickens' young career, as he set a new career high in receiving yards while scoring multiple touchdowns for the first time. He's up to 1,009 receiving yards and five touchdowns heading into a Week 17 road game in Seattle.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Leads team in targets
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Pickens recorded three receptions on seven targets for 47 yards in Saturday's 30-13 loss to the Colts.
Pickens got off to a decent start, as he managed a pair of 15-yard receptions on the Steelers' second offensive possession. Despite leading the team in targets, he managed only one additional reception from there and was held under 50 receiving yards for the second consecutive game -- both of which Kenny Pickett (ankle) has missed in full. Pittsburgh is contemplating a change at quarterback for a Week 16 matchup against the Bengals, and if Mason Rudolph takes over under center, that could be positive news for Pickens.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Sit
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We keep waiting for Pickens to be a consistent Fantasy option, but that doesn't appear to be happening any time soon. He's scored 8.8 PPR points or less in five of his past six games, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8. He also has six targets or less in seven games in a row. Diontae Johnson is the only Steelers receiver to consider using in Week 15 at the Colts, and he's just a No. 3 Fantasy option at best in PPR.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Team-high reception total in loss
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Pickens secured five of six targets for 19 yards in the Steelers' 21-18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night.
The talented second-year wideout struggled yet again to make an impact, although Mitch Trubisky's lackluster play certainly played a large part in Pickens' struggles. Pickens' catch total was a team high on the night, but his 3.8 yards per reception made it a completely unproductive performance outside of season-long or daily full-PPR formats. Pickens does have at least four receptions in three of the past four games, and he'll aim to take advantage of a more vulnerable Colts secondary in a Week 15 road matchup.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Racks up 58 yards
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Pickens secured three of five targets for 58 yards during the Steelers' 16-10 win over the Bengals on Sunday.
The Steelers offense looked much more effective this week after offensive coordinator Matt Canada was fired ahead of Week 12, and Pickens had his best game since tallying 107 receiving yards against the Rams in Week 7. Pickens still could show some inconsistency as the season progresses, but it appears likely that he'll have more upside with a new offensive play caller in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' George Pickens: In clear for Sunday's game
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Pickens (shin) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Pickens was sidelined for the Steelers' first Week 12 practice Wednesday due to the shin issue, but he erased any lingering concern about his health by advancing to limited activity Thursday and then full participation Friday. The second-year wideout has played at least 85 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps in each of his first 10 appearances of the season, and he should comfortably clear that threshold once again Sunday since he's not carrying a designation into the contest.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Listed as limited Thursday
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Pickens (shin) was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
After being deemed a non-participant in Wednesday's session, Pickens' limited listing a day later has him trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's game against the Bengals. If the wideout is able to upgrade to full participation Friday, he'll have a chance to head into the weekend minus a Week 12 injury designation.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Sits Wednesday with shin injury
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Pickens didn't practice Wednesday due to a shin injury, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
The injury is a new one for Pickens, who will still have two more opportunities to log some practice activity and put the shin concern behind him ahead of Sunday's road game against the Bengals. If the second-year wide receiver suits up, he'll be playing in a Pittsburgh offense directed by former running backs coach Eddie Faulkner after the team parted ways with offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Quiet versus Packers
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Pickens caught three of four targets for 45 yards in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Packers.
Pickens led Pittsburgh in all major receiving categories, which evidenced the team's struggles in the passing game Sunday, when quarterback Kenny Pickett managed just 126 yards. With 205 yards on the ground, however, the Steelers didn't need Pickens to have a big day to secure another close victory. The wideout will now turn his attention toward Week 11's meeting with the Browns, who he posted 127 yards and a touchdown against earlier this season.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Expect Pickens to play plenty of snaps and even see a couple of valuable targets in the red zone, but his days of seeing high volume figure to be few and far between. Tack on a matchup that should be decent for the other components of the Steelers offense and Pickens barely has flex appeal, even in a week with four good teams on bye. I'd rather start Courtland Sutton, Zay Flowers and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in PPR.
