Who Should I Start? Nico Collins or George Pickens
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.6 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 5.2 | 76.0 | 0.4 |
Nico Collins News
Friday, September 4, 6:09 AM
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins was already viewed as a strong WR1 in fantasy football entering the preseason, but his stock continues to rise now that Jayden Higgins (knee) has been ruled out for the season. Higgins was on the inside track to being the Texans' No. 2 receiver this year, so his season-ending injury creates plenty of vacated targets. Many of those targets will now go to Collins, who was the overall WR8 last year and has been a top-12 fantasy receiver in two of the last three seasons. In 2025, he converted a career-high 120 targets into 71 catches, 1,117 yards, and six touchdowns. The quality of play from quarterback C.J. Stroud will determine Collins' exact fantasy outlook and upside, but for now, we'd expect that the loss of Higgins will boost Collins' fantasy stock. As it stands, he has an ADP of 21.8, which corresponds to the second round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 10th receiver off the board.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5.1 | 76.6 | 0.5 |
George Pickens News
Friday, September 4, 1:34 PM
The Dallas Morning News' Joseph Hoyt predicts that Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens will have a better fantasy football season in 2026 than CeeDee Lamb for the second straight year. Hoyt projects Pickens to come down with 90 catches, 1,380 yards, and 12 touchdowns after the 25-year-old caught 93 of 137 targets for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns as a first-time Pro Bowler in 2025 in his first year with the Cowboys. Pickens was late to some team meetings and did not always appear to be locked in, but teammates and coaches have said he has been different as he heads into a contract year. The former second-rounder by the Pittsburgh Steelers has continued to make plays in training camp and looks as comfortable as ever in a pass-happy offense. It might be difficult for Pickens to outproduce Lamb for a second straight season, but even if he doesn't, he should have a pretty high fantasy floor. RotoBaller has Pickens ranked as the No. 8 fantasy WR for 2026, with Lamb coming in at No. 5. If Pickens stays healthy, he should have another big season.
Nico Collins vs. George Pickens
Still trying to decide between Collins and Pickens? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Nico Collins is projected to score 15.6 points this week while George Pickens is projected to score 15.5 points.
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