Cowboys' George Pickens: Big plays against Carolina
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Pickens recorded nine receptions on 11 targets for 168 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Panthers.
Pickens accounted for all three of Dallas' longest plays from scrimmage, recording catches of 45, 34 and 31 yards. That production came in a variety of ways, as he served in his more traditional deep-threat role but also showcased his athleticism with hurdles and jukes to elude defenders. Pickens' touchdown came on a slant route over the middle of the field, and he out-raced defenders for a 34-yard score. He has at least one touchdown in five straight games and now has over 100 receiving yards in consecutive games, stepping up very well in the absence of CeeDee Lamb (ankle).
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Finds end zone again
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Pickens caught two of four targets for 57 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-22 win over the Jets.
The game was more lopsided than the final score might suggest -- Dallas took a 30-6 lead into the fourth quarter -- and Pickens wasn't needed for much volume as a result. He made his few looks count, however, burning Sauce Gardner for a 43-yard TD in the third quarter. Since CeeDee Lamb (ankle) got hurt early in Week 3, Pickens has erupted for a 15-259-4 line on 24 targets as Dak Prescott's most dangerous downfield threat. Whether he's able to continue that hot streak in Week 6 against the Panthers may depend largely on Lamb's health.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Monster two-score game on SNF
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Pickens finished with eight receptions on 11 targets for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Sunday's 40-40 overtime tie against the Packers.
Pickens had a breakout night as a member of the Cowboys, generating his first 100-yard and multi-touchdown performance with the club. The 24-year-old wideout led Dallas in targets, receptions and receiving production while taking over as Dak Prescott's top downfield option in the absence of CeeDee Lamb (ankle). Expect Pickens to continue garnering the lion's share of Prescott's attention as the Cowboys prepare to face the Jets next Sunday, although Sauce Gardner may have something to say about his final line.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Scores again
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Pickens recorded five receptions on nine targets for 68 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-14 loss to the Bears.
Pickens looked to be in for a very big performance after the departure of CeeDee Lamb (ankle), as he tallied a long catch of 21 yards and recorded a two-yard touchdown on a drive early in the second quarter. However, Pickens disappeared in the second half, with his only catch coming on a target from Joe Milton after the game was out of reach with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Though Pickens padded his line in garbage time, he has exactly 68 yards with a touchdown in each of his last two games.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: WRs to Start
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Pickens had a solid outing in Week 2 against the Giants with five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, and he should stay hot this week against the Bears. While CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson should have plenty of production, Chicago just allowed five passing touchdowns to the Lions in Week 2, including Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams combining for 11 catches for 223 yards and four scores. Pickens is worth starting in all leagues as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Scores first TD as Cowboy
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Pickens caught five of nine targets for 68 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 40-37 overtime win over the Giants.
While he took a back seat to CeeDee Lamb (9-112-0 on 11 targets) and tight end Jake Ferguson (9-78-0 on 12 targets) in terms of volume, Pickens came up big for the Cowboys with a six-yard TD grab from Dak Prescott with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter that gave the team a 34-30 lead -- and which proved to be only the fourth-last score of the afternoon in a wild back-and-forth affair. It was Pickens' first trip to the end zone for Dallas after a fairly quiet debut, but he could be headed for even bigger numbers in Week 3 against a Bears secondary that just got lit up for four receiving touchdowns by the Lions' top WR duo of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Mixed bag in Cowboys debut
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Pickens brought in three of four targets for 30 yards in the Cowboys' 24-20 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night.
The big-name offseason addition didn't see Dak Prescott look his way anywhere near as much as CeeDee Lamb, but Pickens made some solid contributions in the narrow loss. The talented receiver made his first regular-season catch as a Cowboy on a six-yard grab during Dallas' opening drive, and he'd go on to draw a 34-yard pass interference penalty on Quinyon Mitchell before the quarter was over. Pickens also had a key 15-yard grab on third down with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but he was guilty of an unnecessary roughness penalty deep in Eagles territory in the third quarter on a drive that culminated in a Miles Sanders fumble. Pickens is naturally expected to settle into the Cowboys' air attack the more he plays, and a Week 2 home matchup against the Giants on Sunday, Sept. 14 could represent an opportunity for his first breakout performance.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Chemistry building with Dak
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Pickens hauled in a deep sideline throw from Dak Prescott against tight coverage from DaRon Bland in practice Tuesday, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.
The former Steeler had trouble connecting with Prescott on routes down the field earlier in training camp, but the duo's chemistry has developed nicely since then. With CeeDee Lamb drawing plenty of defensive attention as Prescott's primary option, Pickens could see regular single coverage as secondaries are forced to pick their poison, and he has the physical tools to beat any cornerback trying to contain him. After posting career-best regular-season numbers in 2023 with 63 catches for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns while mainly working with Kenny Pickett as his QB then experiencing a drop in those numbers in 2024, Pickens could be primed for a career-best campaign in his first season with the Cowboys.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Not yet clicking on deep routes
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Pickens hasn't quite been on the same page as quarterback Dak Prescott on deeper routes during the early part of training camp, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
The duo has looked good on short or intermediate routes, but the timing hasn't quite been there further downfield. "I think that's all to come," Prescott said after Thursday's practice. "I don't think that's necessarily something we've got to grow into... For [Pickens], it's just about continuing to master the offense, the routes and the adjustments on certain routes. When he does that, the rest of it is going to come." With CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson as established targets for Prescott nearer the line of scrimmage, Pickens' best chance to make a big impact in the Dallas offense will come as a deep threat, something he's shown he can provide in the past -- the 24-year-old wideout led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 for a Steelers team that featured the uninspiring trio of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky under center.
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Cowboys' George Pickens: Traded to Dallas
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The Steelers are trading Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys' official site reports.
The Cowboys confirmed earlier reports of a trade, giving the team a huge upgrade at the No. 2 WR spot alongside superstar CeeDee Lamb. Fellow Dallas wideouts Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin drop down the depth chart, while Pittsburgh is left with Calvin Austin, Robert Woods and Roman Wilson as potential starters alongside March trade acquisition DK Metcalf. The trade is excellent news for Pickens' fantasy value, pairing him with QB Dak Prescott under new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer in an offense that likely will throw the ball more often than the Steelers will. The 24-year-old Pickens topped 800 yards in each of his first three campaigns, including a career-high 1,140 in 2023, but he's never gone higher than 106 targets, 63 catches or five touchdowns in a single regular season.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Deal to Cowboys being finalized
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The Steelers are finalizing a trade to send Pickens to the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Per Schefter, the deal -- which is expected to be completed Wednesday -- would result in the Cowboys sending a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round choice to the Steelers in exchange for Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round pick. With Dallas, the 24-year-old Pickens, who is coming off a 2024 regular season in which he recorded 59 catches (on 103 targets) for 900 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games, would provide QB Dak Prescott with another quality wideout target to work alongside CeeDee Lamb, who caught 101 passes in 15 contests last season.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Target of trade interest
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The Steelers have received calls inquiring about trading for Pickens leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie deal with Pittsburgh, and the team spent a second-round pick to acquire fellow big-play-specialist DK Metcalf earlier this offseason. The Steelers then signed Metcalf to a five-year, $150 million contract, a move that has resulted in questions about Pickens' long-term future with the team. While Pittsburgh reportedly isn't directly shopping the 24-year-old, he figures to have a strong market for teams in need of a No. 1 or talented No. 2 option at wideout, especially if there remains belief around the league that his production upside remains untapped. Quarterback play has doubtless limited Pickens across his first three seasons in the league, and the Steelers' starter under center for 2025 still remains undetermined.
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Steelers' George Pickens: May consider hold-in this summer
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Pickens is entering a contract year and may "hold in" if he doesn't have an extension before the summer, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Pickens will turn 24 in March, having topped 800 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. He hasn't quite reached an elite level at his position, but his ability to make difficult, contested catches downfield is second to none, and there's no doubt his production has been negatively impacted by poor quarterback play in Pittsburgh. It's unclear if the QB situation will improve in 2025, potentially adding an extra element of contention to contract negotiations, which may already be difficult in light of Pickens' reputation for mercurial behavior and the gap between his production and his perceived talent/skill. The current CBA essentially eliminates the ability for players to hold out, but if Pickens is unhappy this summer he could opt to show up to the team facilities but not participate in practice.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Bright spot in playoff loss
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Pickens recorded five receptions on five targets for 87 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 28-14 loss to the Ravens.
Pickens was coming off a poor close to the regular season, though he keyed the slight offensive resurgence the Steelers showed in the second half of their playoff loss. That began with an impressive 36-yard touchdown catch, during which Pickens spun to split two defenders along the sideline. He also chipped in an acrobatic 26-yard leaping reception on an underthrown ball from Russell Wilson midway through the fourth quarter. Pickens will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, making him a potential extension candidate this offseason. Regardless of whether a deal gets done, he should be set to lead the Pittsburgh receiving corps once again next season.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Disastrous Week 18 showing
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Pickens recorded one catch on six targets for zero yards in Saturday's 19-17 loss to the Bengals.
Pickens was uninvolved for much of the first half as Russell Wilson took to the air only eight times. However, even with more extensive looks in the final two quarters, Pickens failed to deliver. He had three drops and was also not on the same page with Wilson late in the fourth quarter when he was streaking down the right sideline after beating his defender to set up a potential game-winning field goal or touchdown. Pickens will remain a focal point of the Pittsburgh offense in the postseason, but both he and the entire unit had a lackluster effort in Saturday's loss.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Start
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Pickens had a down game against Kansas City in Week 17 following a three-game absence with a hamstring injury with three catches for 50 yards on seven targets. Prior to getting hurt, Pickens did well in the first game against Cincinnati in Week 13 with three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown on six targets. Pickens has now played seven games with Russell Wilson, and Pickens has scored at least 16.4 PPR points in four of them. The Bengals have allowed four receivers to score at least 16.4 PPR points in their past four games, and Pickens is worth using as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Three grabs in return
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Pickens (hamstring) caught three of seven targets for 50 yards in Wednesday's 29-10 loss to Kansas City.
Russell Wilson was under constant pressure and didn't have much time to wait for deep routes to develop, but he hit Pickens for a 41-yard gain late in the first quarter. The third-year wideout had missed the prior three games with a hamstring strain, but he appeared fully healthy Wednesday. Pickens needs exactly 100 yards to reach 1,000 on the season, a mark he'll take aim at in Week 18 against the Bengals.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Deemed FP in walkthrough Monday
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Pickens (hamstring) was estimated as a full participant in a walkthrough practice Monday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Pickens stated earlier Monday that he hasn't yet been cleared to return to action Wednesday against Kansas City, but his full participation in practice Monday suggests that he's certainly leaning toward that outcome. The star wideout has missed each of Pittsburgh's past three games while dealing with a hamstring issue. If he's able to return Christmas Day, it would be a big boost to the Steelers' passing game and could result in less looks for Calvin Austin.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Hasn't yet been cleared
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Pickens (hamstring) said Monday, "I feel good," but that he hasn't yet been cleared to play Wednesday versus Kansas City, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Pickens has missed three consecutive games due to a lingering hamstring injury, but he resumed handling individual drills Monday, per Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com. The standout wide receiver was listed as limited on Sunday's estimated practice report, in which coach Mike Tomlin said he has a "real chance" to return Week 17. Tuesday's final practice report figures to be pivotal in determining Pickens' status for Week 17.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Has a chance to play Wednesday
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Head coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday that Pickens (hamstring) has a "real chance" to play against the Chiefs on Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports.
Pickens, who sustained a hamstring injury prior to Week 14 action, has missed the Steelers' last three games, but it looks like he could be trending in the right direction as Wednesday's contest approaches. In any case, added context regarding the wideout's Week 17 status is slated to arrive via the team's upcoming injury reports. Pickens was deemed a non-participant in all three practices leading up to Saturday's loss to the Ravens.
