Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or George Pickens

Monday, December 23, 12:31 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans caught just five of his eight targets for 69 yards during Sunday's Week 16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Evans was the Buccaneers' leading receiver, but managers would have liked to see him rack up a little more production or find the end zone with a potential berth in the fantasy championship on the line. For the veteran receiver, all eyes are on the 1,000-yard mark. Evans has eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 NFL seasons, but he's not a lock to reach that threshold in 2024. The 31-year-old needs 182 yards over his final two games to achieve the big milestone. From a fantasy perspective, he should continue to be viewed as a low-end WR1 option heading into next week's battle with a subpar Carolina Panthers defense.

Wednesday, December 25, 11:07 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens hauled in just three of his seven targets for 50 yards in a Week 17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers struggled to get much of anything going on offense in this one, but Pickens didn't appear to be hampered by his hamstring injury that kept him sidelined from Weeks 14 through 16. He made an impressive catch for a 41-yard gain on a deep ball from quarterback Russell Wilson and had an 18-yard reception in the fourth quarter called back due to an offside penalty. Although fantasy managers that deployed Pickens in his return were likely let down by this performance, he should still be viewed as a solid WR2 against the Cincinnati Bengals in any leagues that compete in Week 18.