Who Should I Start? George Pickens or Puka Nacua

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.

Sunday, December 7, 8:18 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua caught seven of his 11 targets for 167 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday's Week 14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Nacua looked terrific in this divisional battle, scoring touchdowns of 28 and 31 yards. This was his first multi-touchdown game of the year, and he finished just three yards shy of his season-high in receiving yards. The 24-year-old is a top-three fantasy receiver in 2025 despite dealing with an injury near the middle of the season. He's known for being a high-yardage, high-volume receiver, but he's a major touchdown threat, so Sunday's explosive game was a welcome surprise. He should continue to be deployed as a high-end WR1 in all leagues ahead of Week 15 against the Detroit Lions, which will be a revenge game opportunity for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.