Who Should I Start? George Pickens or Tre Tucker

Friday, December 20, 6:15 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) didn't officially practice this week and was ruled out for Saturday's game against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens for the third straight game, but he is running and did make an effort to be cleared this week. The Steelers are optimistic that Pickens will be ready to go next Wednesday on Christmas Day to face the Kansas City Chiefs. The 23-year-old picked the worst possible time to miss games for fantasy managers relying on him in the postseason, but he could be back next week to resume his role as Pittsburgh's No. 1 wideout. If Pickens is active next week, fantasy managers will be hard-pressed not to throw him back in their starting lineups, even in a tough matchup against the Chiefs' stingy defense. Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson and Mike Williams have done little in Pickens' absence, with tight end Pat Freiermuth being the biggest beneficiary.

Saturday, December 21, 3:12 AM

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker hasn't made much of an impact this season, but he has a chance to have a solid day against one of the NFL's worst pass defenses. Vegas will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, who allow a ludicrous 7.9 yards per pass attempt to opposing teams this season. For context, the gap between JAX and the second-worst team, the Dallas Cowboys, is 0.6 yards. That's the same as the gap between the Cowboys and the 17th ranked pass defense. So the Jags are not only the worst in the league at stopping passers, they're worse by a long shot. With QB1 Aidan O'Connell (knee) expected to return, we could see a few plays where Tucker beats the soft defense deep and AOC chucks it to him downfield. That's worth taking a shot on in very deep fantasy football leagues.