Who Should I Start? George Pickens or Malik Nabers


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
14.3 0.1 0.0 4.7 70.1 0.4

George Pickens News

George Pickens Will Officially Play on Francise Tag in 2026

Wednesday, July 15, 4:10 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens will officially play the 2026 season on his $27.3 million franchise tender after the deadline for tagged players to agree on long-term contracts passed on Wednesday, per ESPN. The Cowboys announced before the NFL draft in April that they didn't plan to engage Pickens in long-term extension talks, so this was the expected outcome. The last time Dallas signed a tagged player to an extension was receiver Dez Bryant in 2015. Pickens has signed his tender, which puts him under contract for 2026. Since reaching an extension with Bryant in 2015, quarterback Dak Prescott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, tight end Dalton Schultz, running back Tony Pollard, and now Pickens have played on the franchise tag. Pickens, 25, was a first-time Pro Bowler and broke out for a career year in 2025 in his first year in Dallas after they acquired him in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching 93 of 137 targets for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games. He'll be pricey in fantasy drafts going into his second year in Dallas, and RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 9 fantasy WR for 2026.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
12.1 0.5 0.0 4.3 56.7 0.3

Malik Nabers News

Malik Nabers in a "Good Place Right Now"

Monday, July 13, 7:44 PM

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) is expected to work his "way into practice as (training) camp gets started in one way or another," head coach John Harbaugh told ESPN. Nabers is on schedule and is doing better each day, with Nabers not far behind running back Cam Skattebo, who is rehabbing from a season-ending dislocated ankle that he suffered in Week 8 of last year. Harbaugh added that Nabers "is not far behind" Skattebo and that he's "in a good place right now." There has been speculation that Nabers could open the regular season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which would require him to miss the first four weeks of the 2026 season. Harbaugh has made it sound like Nabers is doing much better, but there is still some mystery as to when exactly he'll be back on the field as a full-go after having surgery on Oct. 28 to fix ACL and meniscus tears in his right knee. The 22-year-old former first-rounder also had a cleanup procedure on his knee this spring to remove scar tissue. Nabers showed his high-end WR1 upside in fantasy as a rookie by producing a 109-1,204-7 line in 15 games, but fantasy managers are better off fading him as a WR1 target in 2026 drafts because of his injury and the fact that he's missing valuable time in a new offense. RotoBaller has Nabers ranked as the WR24 as he heads into Year 3.


George Pickens vs. Malik Nabers

Still trying to decide between Pickens and Nabers? 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 14.3 points this week while Malik Nabers is projected to score 12.1 points.