The George Pickens trade affects many players in Dallas and Pittsburgh for fantasy redraft leagues, as the Cowboys add a wide receiver two while the Steelers now have just one wide receiver to worry about feeding.
Last season, Pickens was one of the biggest boom-bust receivers with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson throwing him the ball. Despite finishing 42nd in PPR, he had one first-ranked finish and another in the top five in 2024.
This was coming off a 2023 season where the former second-round pick showed strides to becoming a receiver two for fantasy, finishing 29th and going over 1,100 yards as a career-high. Pickens hasn’t had under 800 yards, including his rookie year, as the 24-year-old hasn’t had more than five career touchdowns in a single season.
The fourth-year receiver enters a pivotal contract year and will look to max out his worth. However, the history of Steelers receivers after being traded is against him, despite being in a potentially better offense.
Now ranked 33rd in PPR according to FantasyPros, can Pickens, as a potential one-year rental in Dallas, exceed fantasy expectations, or will this trade hurt more for other players, including himself?
Steelers’ DK Metcalf, Pat Freiermuth Benefit from the Pickens Trade for Pittsburgh
Although the Pickens trade makes DK Metcalf the clear pass-catcher in Pittsburgh, his quarterback situation with the Steelers and the offense is still worse than what he has had with the Seattle Seahawks in the past. On FantasyPros, the new big-name receiver is ranked 25th in PPR after a down season.
The biggest benefactor might be their tight end, as Pat Freiermuth gets a bump as the number two pass-catcher is great value now, being ranked the 16th best tight end in PPR. Whether it is Mason Rudolph, or potentially veteran Aaron Rodgers, or rookie Will Howard, they could develop quick chemistry with a reliable check-down option. The “Muth” dealt with offensive competition last few seasons and was usually the third or fourth target in the offense.
The Steelers’ tight end did finish 2024 strong as the 9th-best tight end and could repeat as a top 10 option again, but with tremendous value in ADP for redraft fantasy football.
Cowboys Players Should be Unaffected by the Addition of Pickens in Dallas
If anything, the quarterback and tight end position for Dallas could see a slight bump, while CeeDee Lamb should still be a top three to five receiver for fantasy football redraft. While he may see fewer targets, this will free up Lamb to be more efficient in yards and potentially touchdowns with his big-play potential due to less attention from opposing secondaries.
Dak Prescott is currently outside the top 15 ranked quarterbacks for fantasy, as this move may have him move up. Jake Ferguson is outside the top 10 tight ends for fantasy, as he has been a reliable option for Prescott in the past, and both offer value at their current ADP.
For the Steelers’ other receivers, like Robert Woods, Calvin Austin III, and Roman Wilson, this does make them more fantasy viable, but I would expect them to make another move via free agency or trade. For the Cowboys, the Pickens trade makes Jalen Tolbert a wide receiver three like last season with Brandin Cooks, who signed with his former team, the New Orleans Saints, in free agency. It does push out the other Cowboys receivers as mostly depth.
