WR · DAL · GWTTKB

George Pickens — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 17.17 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 24.2, usage worth 13.8.

25 years old · 4 seasons of experience · 2022 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 24.2
Consensus across 4 books, standard deviation 2.7, 5.9 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on espn, priciest on yahoo.
SLEEPER23.7
ESPN28.2
YAHOO22.3
UNDERDOG23.4
CBS22.7
FFA28

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 2, pick 12 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankWR9
Bye week14
ADP standard deviation2.7 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 233.9 points, 14.3 per game — 76.6 catches, 1,153 yards, 7 TDs. That is WR2, 28 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 10.9 points per game to a ceiling of 18.5, with the median at 14.3. Boom rate 30%, bust rate 23%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 24.2 on consensus and our board has him 28. We rank him 3.8 picks worse than the room drafts him, so at ADP he is mildly overpriced. That is an objection to the price and not to the player — if he falls past his slot he can be exactly the right pick.

Our written view

went from a low-volume Pittsburgh passing attack to a high-volume Dallas offense, exactly the profile that made him last year's value bet, and it hit immediately (career- high catch rate, career-high yards/reception in year one). Contingent upside remains enormous if Lamb ever missed time — top-5 weekly option in those weeks even with Lamb healthy the rest of the year, because there's so little other systemic risk in Dallas's passing game.

buy · medium conviction · 2026-08

The offense he plays in, 2026

Dallas Cowboys returns 6 of 6 continuity slots — the whole offense is intact. Dak Prescott at quarterback, Brian Schottenheimer as head coach, Klayton Adams calling it. The offense projects to 35.8 pass attempts a game at high confidence and 27.1 rushes.

In: Sam Howell (qb2), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (wr5), Anthony Smith (wr7).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 21.4%, with a bear case of 20.4% and a bull case of 21.6% and a full range of 19.5% to 22.7%. That comes from 29 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

CeeDee Lamb22.7%
George Pickens 21.4%
Jake Ferguson12.9%
Ryan Flournoy8.8%
Javonte Williams8.2%
Luke Schoonmaker6.5%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: Cowboys offense remains essentially the same in 2026 but will be paired with a significantly more competitive defense. This is very important because there were multiple games last year where Cowboys had to pull starters in the 4th quarter because they were getting blown out. This is a high powered offense that can sustain 2 WR1s in fantasy. The real question remains if George Pickens is going to land an extension in Dallas. There is no TRUE line of sight into this yet. Jerry Jones says he wants him to be a Cowboy for the long term, but we can't trust Jerry. If someone paid enough George is gone. Ceedee is not expected to be a top 5 WR with Pickens playing at his 2025 levels, but can absolutely be a top 10 PPR fantasy WR. Ceedee is an elite WR. Cowboys also lock down Javonte Williams on 3 year exention.

Key additions: George Pickens was franchised tagged & will play 2026 season in Dallas (barring trade or hold out).

Key departures: WR Jalen Tolbert signed with Miami Dolphins (minor)

Notes: Dallas has added significantly on defense this offseason and should be VERY competitive. Multiple games last year caused starters to be benched due to blow outs. Dak remains a highly productive aging QB with a well balanced pass and rush offense. Javonte Williams landed massive 3 year extension with Cowboys & George Pickens has been franchised tagged with no current plans to land long term extension. Ceedee Lamb looks to get back on track as a top 5 WR following a rough 2025. Pickens and Ceedee should both be viewed as Dynasty WR1s. Jake Ferguson is expected to also have a great 2026 season. We want to own as many pieces of this offense as we can FOR THE RIGHT PRICE.

How the volume number was reached: Same QB Dak Prescott returning — anchor to 2025 actuals (36.7 att/g); Regressed 30% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 35.7 att/g.

How that share projection was built

29 historical comps for WRs age ~25, prior share 23.9%, same team, OC continuity. Distribution: median 22.8%, p25-p75 [20.8%, 24.1%], tails [18.5%, 27.0%]. Closest comps: Amari Cooper 2023→2024 (CLE: 23.4%→18.7%); Brandon Aiyuk 2023→2024 (SF: 22.1%→22.2%); DeVonta Smith 2023→2024 (PHI: 24.7%→26.1%). Adjustment: +3% from real_breakout (sustainable)

self-anchored 58% to own 23.9% role (3yr), 42% to comp median 22.8%

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: DAL rates 25.7 against a league average of 23, 2.7 points above it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted pass defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season+1.4 · neutral
Weeks 1–6+3.5 · easier
Weeks 12–17-4 · harder
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)+2.3 · easier

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

What happened when he missed time

From the absence record rather than a depth chart — who actually gained when he was out.

SeasonGames missedMain beneficiaryTheir PPR gain
20242Calvin Austin III+4
Read the full George Pickens study →

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved +38.2% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as post-spike. The base rate that applies: after a +30% spike, WRs crash the following year 40% of the time (hold 60%). That puts the measured risk of his dynasty value falling sharply over the next year at 40% — a probability drawn from comparable historical seasons, not a prediction, and not a statement about his 2026 scoring.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 2.1 elite seasons and 2.6 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Mike Evans202316.675%+19%
Tee Higgins202418.575%+0.7%
Jerry Jeudy202414.274%-22.4%
Nico Collins202417.673%+0.5%
DeVonta Smith202415.371%+1.5%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 1 gained value, 1 lost it and 3 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0006,0002023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2022-03 to 2026-07. Up 73% across the series, peaking at 6,189.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2022, round 2, pick 52 by PIT
CollegeGeorgia
Age at draft21
Height6′3″
Weight195 lb
40-yard dash4.47s
Vertical33″
Broad jump125″

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game13.3
Week-to-week variation0.6
Boom rate28.3%
Bust rate18.9%
Games missed per season0.5
Injury historyHamstring
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.46

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · DAL · 17 games

His best game was Week 4 against GB — 33.4 PPR on 11 targets and a 28.9% target share, in a game that finished 40-40. His worst was Week 18 against NYG at 1.9, on 3 targets, final score 17-34. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 5 times and came in under 8 points 3 times. In the 8 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 19.2; in the 9 decided by more, 15.4. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 13.8 points per game. He scored 17.17, 24.8% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 4 against 6.14 expected, a gap of -2.1.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1PHI20-2463430012.1%92%
2NYG40-3717.85968117.3%89%
3CHI14-3117.85968120.5%82%
4GB40-4033.4811134228.9%90%
5NYJ37-2213.72457114.3%78%
6CAR27-3031.8911168132.4%84%
7WAS44-2212.24682020%84%
8DEN24-4414.87978025.7%80%
9ARI17-2713.96979025%91%
11LV33-1629.4911144134.4%67%
12PHI24-2129.699146125.7%78%
13KC31-2816.861388035.1%74%
14DET30-448.75937019.1%84%
15MIN26-346.33633017.1%86%
16LAC17-342679130128.1%88%
17WAS30-2311.84578013.9%87%
18NYG17-341.9139013%45%

Production

Receptions93
Targets137
Receiving yards1,429
Touchdowns9
Points per game17.17
Yards per target10.43
Catch rate67.88%

Role

Snap share81.12%
Target share22.51%
Air-yards share32.2%
WOPR0.564
RACR0.938

Efficiency

Average depth of target11.3
Yards after catch per reception5.2
Yards before catch per reception10.2
Total YAC479
Broken tackles6
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted114.9
Receiving EPA per game5.22

Scoring position

Red-zone targets23
Red-zone target share22.8%
End-zone target share26.7%
Expected receiving TDs6.14
Actual receiving TDs4
Receiving TD luck-2.14

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game5 of 44
Yards per target4 of 44
Target share21 of 44
Air-yards share23 of 44

Who else ate

The offense threw it 624 times. He took 22.57% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

George Pickens 22.57%
CeeDee Lamb19.28%
Jake Ferguson16.8%
Ryan Flournoy9.23%
Javonte Williams8.4%
Kavontae Turpin6.26%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Dak Prescott1613418.1310.623.1%
Joe Milton131.9313%

Blowouts against close games

6 of his 17 games were blowouts, 35% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 17.02 in those and 19.19 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2024 · PIT · 14 games

His best game was Week 7 against NYJ — 22.1 PPR on 9 targets and a 33.3% target share, in a game that finished 37-15. His worst was Week 18 against CIN at 1, on 6 targets, final score 17-19. Across 14 games he cleared 20 points 2 times and came in under 8 points 3 times. In the 10 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 11.5; in the 4 decided by more, 12.3. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 12.8 points per game. He scored 11.74, 3.8% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 3 against 4.31 expected, a gap of -1.3.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1ATL18-1013.56785031.8%68%
2DEN13-64.92429022.2%77%
3LAC20-1010.75757022.6%74%
4IND24-2716.3711113034.4%86%
5DAL17-205.63726026.9%59%
6LV32-138.33853034.8%67%
7NYJ37-1522.159111133.3%79%
8NYG26-1811.44574018.5%80%
10WAS28-2720.55791126.9%81%
11BAL18-1616.981289037.5%88%
12CLE19-248.84748028%90%
13CIN44-3816.43674116.7%91%
17KC10-2983750020%91%
18CIN17-191160020.7%92%

Production

Receptions59
Targets103
Receiving yards900
Carries2
Rushing yards-6
Touchdowns3
Points per game11.74
Yards per target8.74
Catch rate57.28%
Yards per carry-3

Role

Snap share80.21%
Target share26.74%
Air-yards share44.29%
WOPR0.711
RACR0.662

Efficiency

Average depth of target13.3
Yards after catch per reception3.6
Yards before catch per reception11.6
Total YAC215
Broken tackles4
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted87.8
Receiving EPA per game1.99
Rushing EPA per game-0.13

Scoring position

Red-zone targets16
Red-zone target share26.2%
End-zone target share40%
Expected receiving TDs4.31
Actual receiving TDs3
Receiving TD luck-1.31

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game34 of 51
Yards per target18 of 51
Target share11 of 51
Air-yards share4 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 498 times. He took 22.44% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

George Pickens 22.44%
Pat Freiermuth16.99%
Calvin Austin III12.64%
Najee Harris10.46%
Jaylen Warren10.24%
Van Jefferson8.71%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Russell Wilson85913.149.125.2%
Justin Fields6449.888.2528.78%

Blowouts against close games

3 of his 14 games were blowouts, 23.4% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 12.8 in those and 11.53 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · PIT · 17 games

His best game was Week 16 against CIN — 35.5 PPR on 6 targets and a 24% target share, in a game that finished 34-11. His worst was Week 18 against BAL at 0.3, on 0 targets, final score 17-10. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 4 times and came in under 8 points 7 times. In the 11 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 11.8; in the 6 decided by more, 13.2. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 11.2 points per game. He scored 12.28, 8.6% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 0 against 1.79 expected, a gap of -1.8.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1SF7-308.65736015.6%89%
2CLE26-2222.7410127134.5%85%
3LV23-1811.54675022.2%89%
4HOU6-305.53725025.9%98%
5BAL17-1026.6610130132.3%88%
7LA24-1715.758107034.8%90%
8JAX10-209.21522112.5%93%
9TEN20-161.925-1017.2%89%
10GB23-197.53445018.2%95%
11CLE10-137.74638024%92%
12CIN16-108.83558015.6%75%
13ARI10-2412.64586018.5%80%
14NE18-216.95619017.1%86%
15IND13-307.73747026.9%93%
16CIN34-1135.546195224%78%
17SEA30-2320.179131042.9%78%
18BAL17-100.300000%81%

Production

Receptions63
Targets106
Receiving yards1,140
Carries3
Rushing yards18
Touchdowns5
Points per game12.28
Yards per target10.75
Catch rate59.43%
Yards per carry6

Role

Snap share87%
Target share22.48%
Air-yards share37.71%
WOPR0.602
RACR0.722

Efficiency

Average depth of target13.5
Yards after catch per reception6.2
Yards before catch per reception11.9
Total YAC388
Broken tackles5
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted100.4
Receiving EPA per game1.68
Rushing EPA per game0.04

Scoring position

Red-zone targets10
Red-zone target share20.4%
End-zone target share27.8%
Expected receiving TDs1.79
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-1.79

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game34 of 51
Yards per target3 of 51
Target share32 of 51
Air-yards share15 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 506 times. He took 21.9% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

George Pickens 21.9%
Diontae Johnson17.98%
Jaylen Warren15.29%
Allen Robinson10.12%
Pat Freiermuth9.71%
Najee Harris7.85%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Kenny Pickett106811.659.4124.03%
Mitchell Trubisky4239.17.5718.75%
Mason Rudolph31518.6321.7322.3%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 17 games were blowouts, 27.4% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 14.32 in those and 11.79 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2022 · PIT · 17 games

His best game was Week 11 against CIN — 18.3 PPR on 6 targets and a 15.8% target share, in a game that finished 30-37. His worst was Week 8 against PHI at 0, on 3 targets, final score 13-35. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 8 times. In the 12 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 9.6; in the 5 decided by more, 10.4. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 8.4 points per game. He scored 9.79, 16% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1CIN23-201.313308.1%71%
2NE14-173.3122306.3%85%
3CLE17-296.93739021.9%76%
4NYJ20-2416.268102032%70%
5BUF3-3814.36883015.7%76%
6TB20-185.83627022.2%83%
7MIA10-1618.16661114.3%79%
8PHI13-35003007.5%86%
10NO20-1014.53432115.4%75%
11CIN30-3718.34683115.8%86%
12IND24-1710.73657021.4%78%
13ATL19-161.212207.4%68%
14BAL14-1610.8337809.7%76%
15CAR24-167.32553023.8%66%
16LV13-1016.75557113.9%81%
17BAL16-134.92429014.8%73%
18CLE28-1416.23672121.4%63%

Production

Receptions52
Targets84
Receiving yards801
Carries3
Rushing yards24
Touchdowns5
Points per game9.79
Yards per target9.54
Catch rate61.9%
Yards per carry8

Role

Snap share76%
Target share15.98%
Air-yards share26.88%
WOPR0.427
RACR0.635

Efficiency

Average depth of target14.5
Yards after catch per reception2
Yards before catch per reception13.4
Total YAC104
Broken tackles5
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted109.3
Receiving EPA per game2.67
Rushing EPA per game0.12

Scoring position

Red-zone targets7
Red-zone target share11.1%
End-zone target share19.2%
Red-zone carry share1.3%
Goal-line carry share3.8%
Expected receiving TDs1.73
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck0.27
Expected rushing TDs0.43

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game45 of 51
Yards per target8 of 51
Target share46 of 51
Air-yards share35 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 571 times. He took 15.47% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Diontae Johnson27.07%
Pat Freiermuth18.05%
George Pickens 15.47%
Najee Harris9.76%
Chase Claypool9.21%
Jaylen Warren6.08%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Kenny Pickett115610.978.9815.44%
Mitchell Trubisky6287.6310.6416.97%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 17 games were blowouts, 8.6% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 7.15 in those and 9.55 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

Ask the Coach about George Pickens →
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