Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or George Pickens

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.

Thursday, September 11, 12:11 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens participated in 92% (56) of the team's snaps during their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, the exact figure as star teammate CeeDee Lamb. The fourth-year pro didn't garner the same lofty target total Lamb drew (13), placing third on the team behind tight end Jake Ferguson, who had six (four). However, Pickens was out there for darn-near every snap and drew a long pass interference penalty. While quarterback Dak Prescott couldn't connect with his new wideout on any deep targets, there will be plenty more opportunities for the duo to do so. Furthermore, Lamb should draw extra coverage frequently, giving Pickens plenty of one-on-one opportunities on the outside. He's a WR3 with high-end WR2 upside.