Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

    Pickens quiet again in win over Commanders

    Link copied to clipboard!

    DAL Wide Receiver #3
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    George Pickens caught 6-of-8 targets for 40 yards in the Cowboys’ Week 2 win over the Commanders.

    At some point, things will break in Pickens’ favor, but it was not to be in Sunday’s win over the Commanders, despite Dak Prescott throwing for 279-4-0 and having just five incompletions on the day. Pickens hasn’t generated any explosive plays yet, with his longest catch of the season coming on a 12-yard gain in the second quarter of today’s game. He’s still averaging 7.0 targets through the first two weeks of the season, so hopefully the big plays will follow soon. He should be treated as a high-end WR2 in next week’s game against the Ravens.
Pittsburgh Steelers are the 'Thanos' of the NFL
Andrew Perloff makes his case for Paul Pabst how the Pittsburgh Steelers are completely 'inevitable' to have a 10-7 season, and while they won't be Superbowl contenders, will clock in as average.

Related Player News

  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Pickens finally looked like the player we expected to see after his breakout 2025 campaign. While we’re still waiting for the first true explosive play from Pickens this season, he did manage to haul in all four targets he saw in the intermediate area of the field and picked up 19 yards on a third-and-10 on a drive that ended with a Jake Ferguson touchdown two plays later. Pickens would have had a much bigger day if not for a 20-yard reception that was called back due to a penalty, but fantasy managers won’t be upset with this performance. We’ll see if he can build on this week’s outing next week against the Texans, where he will be on the WR2 radar.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    Pickens picked up two early receptions on the team’s first two possessions, contributing further by drawing a defensive pass interference penalty that would set up a CeeDee Lamb touchdown in the second quarter. An untimely drop on third down near the end of the first quarter halted any momentum he had in the box score as he would go on to notch a lone additional catch the rest of the game. The Cowboys managed only 52 offensive plays as they were dominated in both total offense and time of possession, while watching their defense allow the Giants to go 9-of-10 on third down. It is likely we see much more inspiring fantasy production the remainder of the season as Pickens plays out the year on the franchise tag. He enters a Week 2 home showdown against the Commanders as an upside WR2.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    The July 15th deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term deals came and went without Pickens signing a new deal. Cowboys executive vice president Steven Jones had said in April that “there won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal” with Pickens. The 25-year-old wide receiver showed up for mandatory minicamp and does not plan to hold out of training camp, either. He will play on a $27.3 million franchise tag and will either reach a contract extension after the season or enter unrestricted free agency in 2027. Pickens will be the WR2 across from CeeDee Lamb in 2026; both have ceilings in the fantasy WR1 range.
  • DAL Quarterback #4
    Solak’s prediction was among his bold predictions for the 2026 NFL season. Prescott having a shot at 5,000 yards, Solak said, would hinge on the Cowboys remaining a fast-paced offense in 2026. Last season the Cowboys led the league in play clock remaining at the snap and offensive plays per game, leading to 600 passes for Dak — a career high. The wideout duo of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb won’t hurt matters for Prescott, who has eclipsed 4,500 passing yards three times in his NFL career. Pickens’ downfield ability was reflected in Prescott finishing sixth in deep ball accuracy last season. “The volume will be there for Prescott to not just lead the league in passing in 2026 but to once again challenge for the 5,000-yard milestone,” Solak said. Quarterbacks have thrown for more than 5,000 yards just 14 times in league history.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    Schottenheimer began this section of the press conference by saying that he was very pleased with Pickens’ playbook preparedness when he showed up for mandatory minicamp this week. He did not attend organized team activities, so this is great to hear. Regarding Pickens’ pre-snap alignment, he will not just play X-receiver this season — Schottenheimer notes that Pickens does not like doing that anyway. Schottenheimer plans to line Pickens up in the slot, and isolated on the front side, on the same side as the tight end. Pickens logged just 77 slot snaps last season and 891 out wide. Giving him more opportunities to run routes against safeties and linebackers from the slot will increase his fantasy-scoring floor and ceiling. Schottenheimer also plans to expand Pickens’ route tree and build elements of the offense around his strengths, noting Pickens’ slant route successes last season in particular. He’s a WR1.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    Pickens’ current ADP is in the 20-30 range and we expect most analysts will give him a little bump now that he’s not holding out of camp. CeeDee Lamb’s health clearly played a role in Pickens’ 2025 season, as did Dallas’ cataclysmically bad defense. Still, he has a real chance to finish as a WR1 this year and full reps at training camp can only help him out as he plays out the franchise tag.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    After staying away from the team during voluntary workouts, Pickens is officially in the facilities and “is expected to attend mandatory minicamp this Tuesday, Wednesday, [and] Thursday,” per Machota. The Cowboys franchise tagged Pickens earlier this offseason, but the star receiver is still hoping to secure a long-term deal before the start of this season, although the Cowboys have said they don’t intend to negotiate with him ahead of the July deadline to sign tagged players to multi-year deals. In his first season with the Cowboys, Pickens enjoyed a career year, totaling 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns — all of which were career-highs. His decision to report to minicamp is a good sign, although that could simply be out of a desire to avoid being fined for his absence. How much he participates in practice over the three-day period will be worth watching as the week unfolds.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters last week that he expects Pickens to attend mandatory minicamp this week, which is scheduled to run from June 16-18. Schottenheimer quickly clarified that Pickens has not “committed” to doing so. When asked if he plans to attend, Pickens reportedly shrugged and said, “uhhh” before a representative stepped in to end the conversation. Pickens is set to make $27.3 million this season by playing on the franchise tag this season. He is still seeking a long-term extension, but the front office has made it clear that it does not plan to extend Pickens this offseason. Should Pickens skip minicamp sessions, he would be fined daily. It is tough to guess as to what will happen here, but minicamp absences would likely drive Pickens’ ADP downward. At this time of the year, we advise buying the dip.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    The Cowboys’ mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 16-18. Pickens is not present for the Cowboys’ voluntary organized team activities, but head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Pickens is “in a good spot and handling his business” after speaking with the wide receiver yesterday. Pickens signed his franchise tag late in April and is set to make $27.3 million this season. Trade speculation has not amounted to anything thus far, and it sounds like Pickens will show up when he is supposed to later this month.
  • DAL Wide Receiver #3
    The Cowboys were initially reported to be placing the franchise tag on Pickens prior to the NFL draft, prompting speculation he would be dealt during the draft. However, Pickens did not sign the $27.3 million tag immediately, leaving him out of any potential trade conversations. Now, the Cowboys announce Pickens has officially signed his franchise tag. He now plays on a one-year, $27.3 million fully guaranteed deal for 2026 while aiming to negotiate a new contract with Dallas or another team that would agree to acquire and sign him to a long-term deal.

Rotoworld

  • BAL Wide Receiver #7
    Player Stats
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Rashod Bateman caught 2-of-3 targets for 37 yards in the Ravens’ Week 3 win over the Cowboys.

    As expected, Bateman was reduced back to a lightly used WR2 with Zay Flowers back in the lineup. After going for 7-88-1 on nine targets last week against the Saints, Bateman saw just three targets in Sunday’s win, with one of those resulting in a 31-yard gain. Bateman’s 20 routes run led the Ravens’ in Sunday’s win, but he offers nothing of fantasy value as long as Flowers is in the lineup. Fantasy managers who added him after his Week 2 breakout can send him back to waivers ahead of Week 4’s game against the Titans.
  • CAR Quarterback #9
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Panthers coach Dave Canales said Bryce Young (leg) will undergo imaging “just to make sure” on Monday.

    Canales didn’t want to get specific about Young’s status after he took a cleat to the leg, but deferred also to the idea of “other things.” It’s never incredible news to be looking down the barrel of imaging, but Young was able to return and play through the injury on Sunday and this has the feel of an “out of an abundance of concern” test for the 25-year-old quarterback.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said Jalen Thompson (hamstring) is set to miss “four-plus weeks.”

    In other words, he’s headed to injured reserve. The Cowboys safety room has been besieged by injuries this year, with Malik Hooker also missing time. They don’t have another safety on their practice squad so they may be hunting the tryout circuit on Tuesday.
  • TB Wide Receiver #11
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    ESPN’s Jenna Laine reports Jalen McMillan is having an MRI on his left knee.

    McMillan suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Vikings and did not return to the game. The 24-year-old receiver has played in two games this season but has yet to register a catch on the nine offensive snaps he has played. It’s been a rough two seasons for McMillan, who missed nearly all of last season with a serious neck injury that sidelined him until Week 15.
  • HOU Offensive Coordinator
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said “nope, we’re all in this together” when asked about possibly replacing OC Nick Caley.

    Sugar, we’re going down swinging. Caley’s offense has been underwhelming so far — though not having Nico Collins for Weeks 2 and 3 hasn’t helped — and there’s a lot of pressure on this Texans offense at this time. In-season offensive coordinator replacements aren’t exactly bets to go well either way, but Caley is going to have to do a lot better over the next 14 weeks if he wants to keep his job after the end of this year.
  • CAR Cornerback #8
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reports Panthers CB Jaycee Horn (quad) is out indefinitely.

    According to Pelissero, Horn is seeking a second opinion on his injury, but a stint on the IR is “likely,” and the star corner could “miss significant time.” it’s a brutal blow to a Panthers secondary that has been among the league’s best for the first three weeks of the season. A big reason for their success has been Horn’s play. He has been targeted just 10 times thus far, allowing five receptions for 63 scoreless yards with two pass breakups, per PFF.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports an MRI revealed no ligament or tendon damage to Baker Mayfield’s dislocated thumb.

    In addition to a clean report on his ligaments and tendons, the MRI also revealed no fracture. This is as good of news as the Buccaneers could have hoped for, as Mayfield’s absence is expected to be on the shorter end compared to what it could have been had the MRI revealed more damage. Head coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield is looking at a minimum three-week absence, which would put him in line to return for Week 7 against the Panthers if all goes well. Rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels, who went 0-for-3 passing with an interception against the Vikings, will draw the start in the Buccaneers’ Week 4 game against the Packers.
  • NYG Quarterback #9
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Giants acquired QB J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

    The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the trade. McCarthy landing with John Harbaugh’s Giants feels a bit too on-the-nose given his connection with Jim Harbaugh during his days at Michigan. McCarthy was at one point competing for the Vikings’ QB1 job in camp with Kyler Murray, but was knocked all the way down to QB3 on the Vikings’ depth chart when Carson Wentz took over for Murray in Week 1 and drew the start in Week 2. Assuming Jameis Winston doesn’t suddenly exceed expectations and lead an efficient passing attack, McCarthy will probably get a shot to start at some point when he gets up to speed with the offense. McCarthy has thrown for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 career games while completing 57.6 percent of his passes. We’ll see if a change of scenery is all he needs to turn the corner and live up to the hype that made him the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Packers signed OG Mekhi Becton, formerly of the Chargers.

    Becton worked out for the Packers on Monday and signed shortly after. The veteran guard fills an immediate need for an offensive line that has been decimated by injuries as of late. Becton appeared in 14 regular-season games for the Chargers last season while playing exclusively at right guard. He earned a 35.7 PFF offensive grade while allowing 37 pressures and three sacks, and struggled to replicate the run-blocking success he had in 2024 while with the Eagles. He certainly fills a need, but time will tell if this proves to be a difference-making signing for an offensive line that has struggled out of the gate.
  • BUF Quarterback #17
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Josh Allen completed 16-of-26 passes for 204 yards and two interceptions in the Bills’ 24-16, Week 3 win over the Chargers, adding 22 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground.

    Allen certainly wasn’t good in this one, but he wasn’t alone. The Bills turned the ball over five times, committed 10 penalties, and allowed four sacks and somehow won this game. His first interception was on a truly bad read over the middle of the field. The second was on a deep pass into coverage when Allen thought he had drawn an offside. The pass managed to hit the safety in the back and then land in his stomach when he rolled over after hitting the ground. Allen would also fumble on a sack later in the game. The Chargers did a good job of taking Allen’s scrambles away, and this entire Bills team was in disarray, so nobody was consistently open down the field. That being said, Allen’s two rushing touchdowns give him 85 for his career, which means he’s now tied with former Bill Marshawn Lynch for 17th on the NFL’s all-time list. The Bills and Allen will look to get things straightened out against the Patriots next week, and Allen will clearly be in your lineups.