Fantasy Football

George Pickens Fantasy Preview

By Boris

Posted on August 11, 2023

George Pickens Fantasy Preview

Last year it seemed like George Pickens was one of the darlings of the preseason and was getting a lot of hype in advance of the regular season. Prior to the start of 2022, however, the Pittsburgh Steelers were dealing with a revamped and questionable offensive line along with an unclear QB situation. Diontate Johnson and Chase Claypool were being drafted ahead of Pickens, who had and ADP of roughly 140. Pickens didn’t burst onto the scene, but he showcased his world-class ability to work the sideline, track the deep ball, outwork DBs, and make an insane catch or two.

This season I’m not hearing his name a whole heck of a lot. There are a few fantasy analysts out there who are super excited about his 2023 potential, but the industry and fantasy players as a whole are treating Pickens like he’s mediocre, which may be a mistake.

Latest Odds

10+ receiving TDs +700 (bet365)
Most regular season receiving TDs +6,600 (bet365)
Most regular season receiving yards +8,000 (bet365)
To have 1,500+ receiving yards in regular season +4,000 (bet365)
Offensive Player of the Year +20,000 (BetMGM)
Most receiving yards +8,000 (BetMGM)

PROPS

Higher/Lower 4.5 receiving TDs (Underdog)
Higher/Lower 775.5 receiving yards (Underdog)

Since he put 800 yards receiving last year, I like him to top 775.5 in 2023.

Current ADP

ADP – 83
WR ADP – 35

Fantasy Insight

The Steelers offense is going to be better in 2023. They appear to be all in on QB Kenny Pickett and are going to design the playbook, the formations, the play calling, and the reads at the line of scrimmage to put Pickett in a position to make the right call and lead this team. While I don’t expect them to be world beaters, and I do expect them to be more run heavy, part of the offensive scheme will be to isolate George Pickens in one-on-one situations down the field for big plays. Pickens has already demonstrated his ability to do this well.

Fantasy Value

George Pickens is being valued appropriately. With an ADP of 83 overall, he is going around other WRs named Tyler Lockett, Diontae Johnson, Mike Evans, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jordan Addison, Jahan Dotson, and Treylon Burks. There’s a lot more consistency in other WRs (Lockett, DJ, Evans, Burks) at this stage of drafts, but there is also more risk in players like JSN, Addison, and Dotson. Tyler Lockett and Mike Evans are probably my conservative grabs here, but if your shooting for a potential high ceiling, Pickens could deliver in 2023. Najee Harris is also one of my targets in earlier rounds this year, so I’m less inclined to go all in on the Steeler offense in seasonal.

Dynasty Value

I would imagine that George Pickens is already gone in many of your dynasty leagues, but if for some reason he is not, pick him up. Pickens has shown us enough of his skillset for us to believe that he has successful NFL career in his future. It’s very much possible that in a few years we will be talking about Pickens as player who is being drafted in the first three rounds of redraft leagues.

Bold Prediction

Might not be all that bold, but he will be the leading WR on the Steelers this year in terms of fantasy points, which will make him the clear WR1 for Pittsburgh in 2024. *This is my personal opinion, which may or may not reflect site projections.*

Boris

Matt, aka Boris, had a friend in his high school freshman English class once mistakenly call him that, and the nickname has somehow stuck ever since. He has been playing fantasy football since the early 2000s and Daily Fantasy Sports since 2015. Boris has been writing about DFS since 2020 and is excited to be a part of GridIron Experts. He has a wife (proving someone can stand him) and a daughter. Boris loves the beach, skiing, hockey, soccer, and football. He attempts to teach high school English, and aspires to make a ton of money in DFS. Follow him on Twitter @Borisnow00.