Who Should I Start? Calvin Ridley or George Pickens

Tuesday, November 18, 6:35 PM

The Tennessee Titans officially placed wide receiver Calvin Ridley (leg) on season-ending Injured Reserve on Tuesday and signed receiver James Proche II to the active 53-man roster in a corresponding move, according to Jim Wyatt of the team's website. Ridley broke his fibula in Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans and will miss the rest of 2025. In addition to Ridley's injury, rookie wideouts Chimere Dike (chest) and Elic Ayomanor (hamstring) were injured in Week 11 and did not return. It means the Titans' WR corps could be dangerously thin for their Week 12 tilt against the visiting Seattle Seahawks. If Dike and Ayomanor are both unable to play this weekend, it would mean much larger roles for veteran Van Jefferson and Mason Kinsey in the passing game, with tight ends Chig Okonkwo and Gunnar Helm also seeing target boosts.

Friday, December 12, 7:47 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is coming off one of the worst showings of his breakout season, but he is still worth viewing as a WR1 in all formats when he faces the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night. Last Thursday, Pickens brought in just five of his nine targets for a mere 37 yards. This was his lowest total since Week 1, when he tallied only 30 yards on three receptions. His production last week was quite disappointing as the team's No. 1 WR, CeeDee Lamb, exited with a concussion. Still, Pickens was unable to connect with quarterback Dak Prescott. However, managers should continue to view Pickens as a must-start option as he enters Week 15 as the overall WR2 in PPR scoring despite his Week 14 dud. During Weeks 11 through 13, Pickens averaged an elite 24.6 PPR points per game and totaled 126 yards per game with two receiving scores. Overall, Pickens has found the back of the end zone eight times, which is the same number of times he found the end zone as a Steeler during the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined. Despite facing an elite Minnesota secondary that enters the fantasy playoffs allowing the fewest PPR points to opposing WRs, and Lamb cleared for action, Pickens still carries immense upside in all formats and is a must-start WR1 in all league types.