George Pickens Is In A Weird Spot For Fantasy In 2022
George Pickens being drafted 52nd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers should be looked at as an absolute steal. I had him near the top of my WR rankings going into the draft, as did Trey Daubert in his rankings. The former Georgia Bulldog has all the tools to become a standout, elite-level receiver in the NFL for years to come. So, naturally, you would think that he is a can’t miss a player for fantasy football, no? Well, I would maybe pump the breaks and really consider where you want to draft Pickens in your drafts this upcoming year.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a transition period at the quarterback position. With Ben Roethlisberger retiring and the team going out and drafting Kenny Pickett in the first round of the same draft, I just have some concerns. My concerns lie with Pickett, not Pickens. It is assumed that Pickett will win the starting job over newly signed Mitch Trubisky, but both guys are going into their first year in this system. No matter who is starting, there are bound to be growing pains. Pair that with the fact this team is showing signs of being run heavier than in years past tells me there won’t be that many targets to go around. The Steelers lost Juju-Smith Schuster and James Washington but replaced those two with Pickens and fourth-round receiver Calvin Austin. Austin is a very underrated pick and he will look to get his targets as well. Not to mention Diontae Johnson at WR1 for this team.
There is room to make this work, however. George Pickens in this upcoming fantasy football season can work. Pickens has that alpha mentality. The mindset where he is going to get in the face of DBs and get his catches. If he can establish a role very early in the year, no matter who is playing at quarterback they have to look his way. This Matt Canada offense likes to draw up creative ways to get the ball into receivers hands, and with a talent like Pickens, I am sure he already has a plan.
I think you should think twice about drafting George Pickens before any projection. This isn’t to say don’t draft him at all, I think you should. All I am saying is if you have a need at receiver, think twice about reaching up far past his projection because the early season production might be lacking. But in the long run? I think he will be a wise investment.
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