Who Should I Start? Davante Adams or George Pickens

Thursday, December 18, 6:56 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) is officially inactive for the Thursday night divisional tilt against the hosting Seattle Seahawks, according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. Adams aggravated a nagging hamstring injury in Sunday's win over the Detroit Lions and wasn't able to practice on a short week. The 32-year-old was listed as doubtful on Wednesday's final injury report. L.A.'s offense still has enough firepower to sweep the Seahawks on the year on the road, but Adams' absence could be felt in the red zone on Thursday night. Adams has been a favorite of quarterback Matthew Stafford's inside the 20s, and he currently leads all receivers with 14 touchdown receptions in 14 games. Star receiver Puka Nacua should handle heavy volume in Seattle, with tight end Colby Parkinson also having TE1 upside after his two-touchdown performance in Week 15. At receiver, Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, and Jordan Whittington will be battling for Adams' vacated targets.

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.