Should I Start George Pickens?

Thursday, October 8, 7:37 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens finally had a monster game in his team's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 5. The second-year Cowboy caught nine of his 13 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown in an upset loss to the 0-4 Bucs. It was apparent from early in the game that Cowboys WR1 CeeDee Lamb (quad) was playing injured, and he was eventually pulled from the game due to the injury. He was cleared from the team's injury report with the same issue before the game, so it looks like he aggravated a pre-existing issue. While Pickens' night was fantastic for his fantasy managers, it appears that he doesn't have anywhere near the upside he had last season when Lamb is actually healthy. But it's possible No. 88 could miss time, in which case Pickens immediately becomes a WR1 with top-5 fantasy scoring potential every week. The Cowboys will face the Green Bay Packers next, who are another team struggling on defense this year. Pickens has easy week-winning upside if Lamb can't play or is still hampered by his quad injury next week, so Dallas' injury reports next week should be followed closely.