Who Should I Start? Nico Collins or George Pickens

Friday, October 24, 5:56 PM

The Houston Texans have officially ruled out wide receiver Nico Collins (concussion) for the Week 8 contest this Sunday against the visiting San Francisco 49ers, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Collins suffered a concussion in the second half of the Monday night loss to the Seattle Seahawks and was unable to practice all week due to his head injury. In addition to Collins, Christian Kirk (hamstring) will miss a second straight game, meaning rookies Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, and Xavier Hutchinson will all see boosted roles in Houston's passing attack this weekend. It's unclear if Collins will be able to clear the league's concussion protocol next week to make his return in Week 9 on Sunday, Nov. 2, against the Denver Broncos. Noel and Higgins will be on the WR4/flex radar for fantasy managers with the bye-week blues in Week 8, with six teams on bye.

Tuesday, October 21, 12:07 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is having an excellent first season in Dallas, and the Cowboys could be considering an extension for him. "Any and everything about George Pickens has crossed our minds. ... Certainly he's a topic of interest and discussions because of the success he's having," owner Jerry Jones said on Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. The 24-year-old currently has 36 receptions on 54 targets for 607 yards and a career-high six touchdowns through the first seven weeks of the 2025 campaign. Those numbers have been good enough to place Pickens as the No. 4 fantasy wideout in half-PPR scoring. It helped that fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb missed three games due to a high-ankle sprain, but Pickens was still productive with four catches and 82 yards in Week 7 after Lamb returned. He should continue to remain heavily involved in Dallas' pass-heavy attack along Lamb, making him a weekly must-start in fantasy.