Who Should I Start? George Pickens or Elic Ayomanor

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.

Tuesday, December 9, 2:17 PM

Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor caught his first touchdown since Week 3 during Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns. Ayomanor finished with just the one catch for 14 yards on three targets, but it was good to see him find the end zone again after an eight-game drought. The rookie fourth-rounder has held down a full-time role for the Titans this season, playing 81.5% of the snaps in 11 games. He's had a decent season, considering how poor the Titans' offense has been, totaling 30 receptions for 353 yards and three touchdowns on 67 targets. He missed the Week 12 game due to a hamstring injury and has faded in Tennessee's passing attack since the Week 10 bye, recording four receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. While his target share gives him a decent floor, Ayomanor still profiles as a flex option in deep leagues in Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers.