Steelers' George Pickens: Not practicing Wednesday
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Pickens (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday there's an "outside chance" that Pickens can play Sunday against the Eagles, but that doesn't seem likely after an MRI revealed a "little bit more significant" hamstring injury (reportedly a Grade 2 strain) for the wideout than initially thought. If Pickens remains sidelined this weekend, added Week 15 opportunities would be available for Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Mike Williams and Scotty Miller.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Looks unlikely for Week 15
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday that Pickens (hamstring) is unlikely to be available for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports. "If you pressed me, I'd probably say he's out or could be categorized as 'doubtful,'" Tomlin said of Pickens' status.
Though Pickens was listed as questionable leading up to this past Sunday's game against the Browns, reports heading into the day suggested that the wideout was likely to play. However, a pregame workout apparently didn't go as well as anticipated, and the wideout ended up sitting out a 27-14 victory. The Steelers aren't yet ruling Pickens out for Week 15, but it looks as though he'll face an uphill battle to recover from a Grade 2 hamstring strain in time. Assuming he remains out for a second straight game, Mike Williams and Scotty Miller could benefit from expanded roles.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Expected to miss Week 15
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Pickens (hamstring) is not expected to be available for Sunday's road matchup against the Eagles, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pickens appears in line to miss a second consecutive contest due to what league sources informed Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com of on Monday is a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The Steelers haven't yet officially disclosed the severity of Pickens' injury or his presumed status for Week 15, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the team take a cautious approach with its No. 1 wideout's recovery. Pittsburgh's divisional road matchup against Baltimore in Week 16 could, tentatively, be a better target date for Pickens to retake the field. Tight end Pat Freiermuth and wide receivers Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Mike Williams, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller all will benefit from increased target opportunities as long as Pickens is unable to go.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Managing Grade 2 hamstring strain
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Pickens (hamstring), who was inactive for Sunday's 27-14 win over the Browns, is believed to be nursing a Grade 2 strain, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Pickens popped up on Pittsburgh's injury report late during Week 14 prep after he was limited in Friday's practice. The final decision to hold him out versus Cleveland reportedly wasn't made until late Sunday morning, an indication that the Steelers had some hope the standout wide receiver could play through his hamstring issue. A Grade 2 strain, though, could tentatively also impede Pickens' availability Week 15 on the road against Philadelphia, if not for a longer stretch. As long as Pickens can't go, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Mike Williams, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller, as well as tight end Pat Freiermuth, will be called upon to handle expanded opportunities in the receiving game.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Inactive Sunday
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Pickens (hamstring) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Pickens -- who approached Sunday's contest listed as questionable -- was added to the Steelers' Week 14 injury report after being deemed limited at Friday's practice. Evidently, the wideout's pre-game warmups didn't go as hoped, and Pickens will target a possible return to action next weekend against the Eagles. In his absence, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Mike Williams, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller are available to handle Pittsburgh's wide receiver duties in Week 14.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Trending toward playing Sunday
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Pickens, who is questionable for Sunday's game against Cleveland, is likely to play but will need to test his hamstring in pregame warmups, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Per Schefter, the Steelers are taking the fact that Pickens hurt his hamstring late in the practice week as a consideration in having him test out the injury before the game. If he's able to prove that he's capable of suiting up, the third-year wideout will face Cleveland for the second time in three weeks. During Pittsburgh's first matchup against the Browns (in Week 12), Pickens was held to a modest four catches on seven targets for 48 yards.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Has hamstring injury, questionable for Sunday
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Pickens was limited at Friday's practice due to a hamstring injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pickens was a late addition to the Steelers' Week 14 practice report, added Friday as a limited participant. Since a Week 9 bye, he's accrued a 20-302-2 line on 32 targets in four games, displaying strong chemistry with QB Russell Wilson. Pickens' status may not be confirmed until about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Scores third TD in uneven showing
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Pickens recorded three receptions on six targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 44-38 win over the Bengals.
As is often the case, Pickens' performance had plenty of ups and downs. He was involved in a pick-six early in the game when he fell to the ground on a target, only to cash in on a 17-yard touchdown on the Steelers' next drive. Pickens later chipped in long receptions of 36 and 19 yards but was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on each. Setting aside the penalties, Pickens has been very productive in five games since Russell Wilson took over under center, averaging 81.1 yards per game while accounting for all three of his touchdowns on the season.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Co-leads team in receptions in loss
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Pickens secured four of seven targets for 48 yards in the Steelers' 24-19 loss to the Browns on Thursday night.
Pickens set the pace for the Steelers in targets while sharing the team lead in receptions with Pat Freiermuth. The blizzard-like conditions certainly didn't help Pickens' cause and helped lead to his lowest yardage total since Week 5 against the Cowboys. Pickens did extend a streak of recording at least four catches to five games, and he'll draw a more favorable matchup on paper in a Week 13 road matchup against the Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 1.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Eight grabs in Sunday's win
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Pickens caught eight of 12 targets for 89 yards in Sunday's 18-16 win over the Ravens.
The third-year wideout led Pittsburgh in catches, targets and receiving yards, and the volume was his highest in four games since Russell Wilson took over as the team's starting QB. Pickens has posted a 22-365-2 line on 33 targets over that stretch, putting him on track for a huge finish to the campaign. Pickens will look to keep rolling in Week 12 against the Browns.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Continues production with Wilson
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Pickens recorded five receptions on seven targets for 91 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-27 win over the Commanders. He added one rush for four yards.
Pickens continued to show excellent rapport with Russell Wilson, as he now has 276 yards and two touchdowns across Wilson's three starts. His performance Sunday was highlighted by a 16-yard touchdown to conclude Pittsburgh's first offensive possession, and he also tacked on 34- and 24-yard receptions. Plagued by inconsistency to start the season, Pickens has turned into a reliable weekly contributor, and that should be the case once again in Week 11 against the Ravens.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Start
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I'm starting Pickens with confidence even though the Commanders just traded for Marshon Lattimore. In two games with Russell Wilson, Pickens has scored a combined 33.5 PPR points on nine catches for 185 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets, and he lost a potential touchdown in Week 8 against the Giants that was overturned by replay. Wilson should continue to lean on Pickens even with the addition of Mike Williams, and the Commanders have allowed eight receivers to score at least 14.9 PPR points this season.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Start
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Pickens was awesome in his first start with Russell Wilson in Week 7 against the Jets, with five catches for 111 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He's had at least seven targets in five games in a row, but that was just his second game with more than 10.7 PPR points over that span. I expect Wilson to continue to lean on Pickens in Week 8 against the Giants, and I like Pickens as a top-10 Fantasy receiver in all leagues in Week 8.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Breaks out with new starting QB
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Pickens had five receptions (nine targets) for 111 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-15 win over the Jets.
Pickens produced his best fantasy score of the season in quarterback Russell Wilson's first start for Pittsburgh. The veteran quarterback brought the best out of his top wideout, which should have Pickens' fantasy managers ecstatic about what might lie ahead. The 23-year-old blossomed as a sophomore last season with a 63-1,140-5 receiving line, but he had gotten off to a slow start with mobile quarterback Justin Fields at the helm for the Steelers' first six games. Now that the more accurate Wilson has taken the reigns of the offense, Pickens should see a boost in projections heading into next Monday's tilt against the Giants.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Another modest showing
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Pickens recorded three receptions on eight targets for 53 yards in Sunday's 32-13 win over the Raiders.
Pickens made headlines throughout the week due to perceived discontent over his role in the Pittsburgh offense, though opportunity wasn't an issue in Sunday's win. His eight targets were his second-highest mark of the season, though he did see some tough contested looks and also dropped a potential touchdown late in the game. Pickens has yet to find the end zone and has topped 100 yards only once in six chances, making him a fantasy disappointment through the first six games of the campaign.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Frustrated with reduced snaps?
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Pickens said Thursday that it was offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's decision to restrict his snaps during Sunday's 20-17 loss to Dallas, NFL.com's Nick Shook reports.
Pickens still was consistently on the field for three-wide formations, but he took just one of 20 snaps (5 percent) in 12 personnel, after getting 79 percent of those snaps Weeks 1-4. Smith curiously used 162-pound Calvin Austin and 174-pound Scotty Miller as the 12 personnel wideouts alongside Van Jefferson, which suggests Pickens' lack of playing time may have been related to effort or fatigue avoidance rather than his actual ability as a blocker. Pickens ran half-hearted routes a few times during Sunday's loss, fueling speculation that the Steelers are displeased with his effort and body language. The team may have a point, but what they don't have is another legitimate receiving threat out wide. Pickens saw a team-high seven targets Sunday night even with the reduced playing time, and coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that he thought minimizing the wideout's reps might actually help his productivity. None of this is ideal for fantasy managers, but Pickens is still a clear favorite to lead his team in targets during Sunday's game in Las Vegas.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Quiet against Cowboys
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Pickens caught three of seven targets for 26 yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Cowboys.
Pickens accounted for the only first-half catch by a Steelers wide receiver, as Justin Fields completed only four of nine pass attempts before halftime. Fields was better in the second half, but Pickens remained a near non-factor despite finishing with the team lead in targets. Pickens' yardage totals have fluctuated, but he has yet to score a touchdown heading into a Week 6 road game against the Raiders.
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Steelers' George Pickens: Big plays against Colts
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Pickens recorded seven receptions on 11 targets for 113 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Colts.
Pickens had a disastrous first half that was defined by a lost fumble near the end zone that cost the Steelers points. However, as Pittsburgh attempted to make a frantic comeback in the final two quarters, Pickens showcased his big-play ability with a pair of catches that went for 38 and 37 yards, respectively -- both of which helped set up touchdowns. The only thing missing from the performance was a touchdown, but Pickens dominated targets and illustrated his upside when the team was forced to take to the air more aggressively.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Start
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Pickens has yet to score a touchdown this season, but it feels like a big game is on the horizon. And that could happen in Week 4 against the Colts. Indianapolis has allowed four touchdowns to opposing receivers already this year, and four guys have scored at least 15.2 PPR points against this secondary. Pickens has two games this season with at least five catches, and I expect Justin Fields to help Pickens have a breakout performance in Week 4.
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Steelers' George Pickens: WRs to Start
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Pickens had a tough matchup in Week 2 at Denver with cornerback Patrick Surtain, and he finished with two catches for 29 yards on four targets. In Week 1, Pickens had six catches for 85 yards on seven targets against Atlanta, and I'm expecting a similar stat line -- if not better -- in Week 3 against the Chargers. Pickens is worth starting as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
