Steelers receiver George Pickens has shown plenty of big-play potential, but can he become a more consistent fantasy asset with more opportunities this season? (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
This is the second part of a new series that will examine players who are tough to rank. Today we’re examining the pros and cons of three wide receivers.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
PROS
Pickens’ full season’s pace without Diontae Johnson on the field last season was 72 catches for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns on 140 targets. He registered a 38.4% first-read target rate over those four games without Johnson, when Pickens’ targets per route run rate (24.1%) ranked top-20, and his yards per route run (2.93) ranked top-five. Pickens’ end-zone target share also jumped to 42% with Johnson off the field. Pickens’ yards per target (10.27) ranks second among all wide receivers over the last three years, and now he gets to play without Johnson for a full season.
Moreover, Russell Wilson will be an upgrade over Pittsburgh’s quarterback play last season, as Kenny Pickett owns the lowest TD% (1.8) among 391 quarterbacks with at least 500 attempts in NFL history. Pickens ranked top-20 in ESPN’s Open Score last season, and offensive coordinator Matt Canada is gone, so the wideout can finally run routes over the middle of the field.
CONS
Pickens hasn’t earned a 22% target share during either season of his career yet, and he’s been a big-play merchant. He was in the 88th percentile in yards per route run last season but just the 62nd percentile in first downs per route run, which is better at predicting next year’s fantasy stats.
While any OC is likely an upgrade over Canada, Drake London’s fantasy managers had plenty of issues with Arthur Smith’s play calling (and results), and last year’s Falcons had by far the lowest pass rate over expectation (-9.7%) in the league. It’s also possible Wilson is completely washed, and Justin Fields…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/make-a-call-in-fantasy-football-what-to-do-with-davante-adams-george-pickens-and-christian-watson-174546087.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-07-03 17:45:46
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