Who Should I Start? George Pickens or Brian Thomas Jr.

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.

Sunday, December 14, 9:35 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has tested his fantasy managers' patience throughout the entire 2025 NFL season. Between missing time and delivering several underwhelming performances, Thomas has not lived up to his late-first-round price tag in last summer's fantasy drafts. However, he could be turning a corner ahead of Sunday's Week 15 contest against the New York Jets. Thomas is coming off a modest performance against the Colts in which he caught three of six targets for 87 yards, but his underlying metrics were even more encouraging. The second-year receiver finished last week with 153 air yards and an average depth of target of 25.5 yards, both of which ranked sixth-most among all NFL wide receivers. If he can turn these potential yards into even more receiving yards, big plays, and perhaps a touchdown, he'll turn in a dominant fantasy performance. This week is as encouraging as any for Thomas, as the Jets' secondary has been iffy this season. While New York has allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in 2025, they also haven't intercepted a single pass this year. If Jacksonville doesn't abandon the pass early, Thomas should exceed his projections and rank as a top-15 fantasy receiver for Week 15.