Who Should I Start? George Pickens or Kyle Monangai


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.2 0.2 0.0 5.0 75.4 0.4

George Pickens News

George Pickens Flops In Week 1 Loss

Sunday, September 13, 8:04 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens entered 2026 with massive expectations, but met none of them in Week 1. He was targeted six times, hauling in three passes for 26 yards. He was quiet even against one of 2025's worst NFL defenses, especially against the pass. Pickens may need some time to get going, but the entire offense looked sluggish in what should have been an easy matchup. A dominant 2025 gave way to a flop for Pickens in Week 1. Nobody really did much, though. Dallas possessed the ball only two times in the second half, and scored touchdowns on both drives. Their defense struggled mightily, though, with Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart effectively able to move the ball and grind the clock down. Pickens' uncharacteristic drop in the first quarter punctuated a night he hopes to forget before Week 2, when Dallas faces another divisional rival in the Washington Commanders.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
8.7 40.8 0.3 1.3 11.1 0.1

Kyle Monangai News

Kyle Monangai a Full Go for Opener Vs. Carolina

Friday, September 11, 7:11 PM

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai will head into this weekend's outing against the hosting Carolina Panthers, seemingly healthy after a full week of practice. The second-year back hyperextended his knee roughly a month ago. Considering there's been no update since his return on Monday, it feels safe to assume that Monangai will resume his role as a 1B/change-of-pace option behind incumbent starter D'Andre Swift. While the former's upside is capped for as long as he shares Chicago's backfield, he's one of the league's premier handcuffs. Monangai also has the talent to carve out standalone value on an aggressive offense. In Week 1, he'll get an excellent matchup in a Panthers' defensive front that was a bottom-half unit in rushing yards per game last year. Game script could be favorable if the Bears jump out to an early lead, but Monangai is otherwise a touchdown-dependent option in the early going. For now, he'll rank as the PPR RB42 in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings.


George Pickens vs. Kyle Monangai

Still trying to decide between Pickens and Monangai? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that George Pickens is projected to score 15.2 points this week while Kyle Monangai is projected to score 8.7 points.