Who Should I Start? Michael Thomas or George Pickens

Wednesday, September 11, 8:40 PM

The National Football League on Wednesday announced that it has lifted the suspension of free-agent wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was suspended for the first game of the 2024 NFL season for an incident with a construction worker near his home last year. The fact that the 31-year-old remained without a team all offseason is a sign that he may struggle to latch on with an organization despite the fact that he's past his one-game suspension. Just several years ago, Thomas was the best receiver in the league, but injuries have limited him to 20 games since the start of the 2020 campaign, and he played in just 10 games with the New Orleans Saints last year before a knee injury ended his season. He caught 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Thomas belongs on the waiver wire in all leagues and is unlikely to be on the fantasy radar in 2024.

Tuesday, April 29, 1:20 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens' name was tossed around in trade discussions last week during the 2025 NFL draft, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, and the Dallas Cowboys were one of the teams that talked about bringing him in, according to sources. Nothing went down with Pickens, though, and now that the draft is over, it's expected that trade buzz surrounding Pickens will cool off. While the 24-year-old wideout was the subject of some trade talks, the Steelers never really seemed adamant about moving him and are excited about the possibilities in 2025 with a 1-2 receiver punch of Pickens and DK Metcalf. Pickens' long-term future with the team is in question, though, as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal. The former second-rounder came short of the 1,000-yard mark for a second straight season, and his fantasy arrow is pointing down after the addition of Metcalf.