Who Should I Start? George Pickens or Rashid Shaheed

Thursday, December 4, 1:13 AM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has already posted career highs in receptions (73), receiving yards (1,142), and touchdowns in 12 games this season. Pickens has been a seamless fit in his first year with the Cowboys and has formed one of the most dynamic wide receiver duos in the league with CeeDee Lamb. The 24-year-old was limited in practice on Monday with calf and knee injuries, but he has been cleared from the injury report and is all set to play Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. It's a dream matchup for the former Pittsburgh Steeler, as Detroit has played man coverage at a league-high 42.8% clip this season. Pickens has arguably been the best receiver against man coverage this season, leading all players by a wide margin with 463 yards against man, per Fantasy Points Data. In a matchup featuring the highest projected point total of the week, Pickens profiles as one of the best wide receivers in fantasy football in Week 14.

Monday, December 8, 7:24 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed turned in his first fantasy-relevant performance as a member of the Seahawks. Shaheed did most of his damage on a punt return for a touchdown. However, it was his four receptions on five targets that were encouraging. Most importantly, Shaheed's targets were far more downfield than they have been since he joined the Seahawks. He recorded 67 receiving yards on his four catches. Fantasy managers will not be able to count on a weekly punt return for a touchdown from Shaheed, but if his targets and route participation can continue to improve, he could end up being a solid add for the fantasy football playoffs. Shaheed should not be started in Week 15; however, he should be rostered in case his involvement in the offense continues to improve. With the stretch run of the NFL season upon us, it would behoove the Seahawks to get Shaheed more involved.