Who Should I Start? Calvin Ridley or George Pickens

Tuesday, September 2, 12:33 PM

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said the team will have to move wide receiver Calvin Ridley around on offense to help get him open, and that the other wideouts will have to win their one-on-one matchups this year. Despite dealing with subpar quarterback play in 2024 in his first year with the Titans, Ridley managed to post his second straight 1,000-yard season and third of his career on 64 receptions while scoring only four times in 17 games (14 starts). It was a slight step back from 2023, when he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 30-year-old veteran is the Titans' unquestioned WR1 yet again, but he doesn't have much help behind him and will be working with a rookie signal-caller in Cameron Ward. Fantasy managers can hang their hat on plenty of volume, but efficiency could once again be an issue.

Wednesday, September 3, 11:13 AM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has been "energized" by playing in a different offensive scheme this year, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Additionally, Machota writes that the 24-year-old is "being showcased in different routes and concepts" than he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Pickens spent the first three seasons of his career. Pickens is known as a ball-winning outside receiver, and he led the NFL in yards per reception (18.1) back in 2023. However, it sounds as though Dallas could be looking to vary Pickens' route tree in 2025, which could help him see more target volume (career 6.1 targets per game). He enters the year as the clear number two option in the Cowboys' passing game behind star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Pickens profiles as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in fantasy.