Who Should I Start? George Pickens or De'Von Achane

Friday, February 27, 12:45 PM

The Dallas Cowboys officially placed the franchise tag on impending free-agent wide receiver George Pickens on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Now the two sides will try to work out a long-term contract extension before the July 15 deadline, with executive vice president Stephen Jones saying that the team isn't putting any timeframe on it. Rapoport said he does not expect Pickens to report to the team's facilities "unless and until there is a long-term deal." Rapoport also wonders if there is a team out there that would be willing to give up a premium draft pick and sign Pickens to a long-term deal themselves to try to pry the 24-year-old away from Dallas for 2026 and beyond. If Dallas and Pickens are unable to reach a long-term deal by July 15, and he's not traded, he'd play the upcoming season on a one-year, fully guaranteed $28 million contract. All signs point to the former second-rounder playing in Dallas again in 2026, where he had a career-best 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. Pickens is a locked-in WR1 in fantasy for this fall.

Friday, February 27, 5:15 AM

The Houston Texans are expected to make a "push for a top running back in the free-agent market," but the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander also suggests the team could look to trade for Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane this offseason as they look to improve their RB room. In free agency, Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne Jr., and Rico Dowdle could all be targets. The Dolphins aren't exactly looking to trade Achane, though, and they want to build around him with their new front office and coaching staff, so the 24-year-old isn't exactly going to come cheap. Achane was the RB6 in half-PPR scoring in 16 games last year, accumulating 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 238 carries while also adding 67 receptions on 85 targets for another 488 yards and four touchdowns. He'd arguably become even more promising in fantasy football with a trade to Houston, although Woody Marks will have a role after a strong rookie campaign in 2025.