Who Should I Start? George Pickens or James Cook

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.

Saturday, December 6, 7:30 PM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook recorded a season-high 32 carries for 144 yards during last week's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite missing both starting tackles, Cook and the Bills' ground game tore up the Steelers for 249 total rushing yards. The 26-year-old has been an elite fantasy asset all season, handling 231 rushing attempts for 1,228 yards and eight touchdowns with 27 receptions (29 targets) for 236 yards and a touchdown. He ranks as the RB6 on the year, averaging 18.6 PPR points per game. The Bills' RB1 has already set a career high in rushing yards and is set up to surpass his career high of 237 carries in Week 14 against a porous Cincinnati Bengals defense. The Bengals have allowed the most PPR points per game to opposing running backs, setting Cook up for another potential massive game on Sunday.