Fantasy Football Week 1 WR Start Decisions: Who Should You Start George Pickens Over?

We looked at fantasy football outlooks for the Eagles and Cowboys yesterday in preparation for the Thursday night game.

Today, we're back to go over some start/sit decisions involving players in tonight's game. George Pickens and Dak Prescott are part of a lot of the trending decisions.

Since I have already given my week 1 fantasy football rankings for quarterbacks, I'm just going to cover Pickens and his decisions here. I also gave my rankings for fantasy wideouts, but there's guys Pickens is up against who aren't ranked, and neither is Pickens for that matter.

Having trouble deciding who to start in week 1? Let the FantasySP start/sit tool help you make a decision.

George Pickens Fantasy Outlook

Pickens has one of the tougher fantasy matchups for a receiver based on last year's numbers. Philly boasts one of the best secondaries in the league, and that hasn't changed over the offseason.

This will be Pickens first game with the Cowboys after spending his first three seasons with the Steelers. He topped out at 1,140 yards and five scores in 2023, but regressed a bit to 900 yards and three scores over 14 games last year.

Pickens might be a better No. 2 wideout in the NFL, and he'll get that chance in Dallas behind CeeDee Lamb. Playing opposite a star like Lamb should open a bunch of things up for Pickens, and in time, he could be an easy choice to start every week. In week 1 though, there's some question marks for sure.

Other Receivers in Trending Decisions vs. Pickens

Pickens is part of trending decisions with Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Jameson Williams, Matthew Golden, Jaylen Waddle and Ricky Pearsall. Adding in some receivers those guys are in trending decisions with adds Courtland Sutton, Calvin Ridley, D.J. Moore, Zay Flowers and Jerry Jeudy to the mix. Now we have some decisions to make.

If you read my wide receiver rankings story, you know where I have a few of those guys ranked. McMillan is atop the list at No. 16 overall. Jeudy is 19th, while Flowers is 23rd. Egbuka ranks 24th, Moore is 25th and Sutton is 26th. Waddle checks in 29th and Pearsall is 30th. 

Let's dive a bit deeper into all these receivers and show you why I have guys ranked where I do.

On our week 1 projections page here at FantasySP, Moore is projected for the most PPR fantasy points (15). Jeudy, McMillan and Waddle are all at 14 points, while Ridley, Pickens, Egbuka, and Sutton are at 13 points. Flowers and Williams are at 12 points each, while Pearsall and Golden are at 11 each. 

McMillan has one of the most favorable matchups (Jaguars) based on last year's stats, and that's part of the reason why I have him ranked so high for week 1. 

He's clearly the top wideout for the Panthers, and on volume alone, I see McMillan having a big game. Throw in a possible score and you have a high-end fantasy wideout.

Jeudy takes on the Bengals, who surprisingly slowed opposing fantasy wideouts pretty well last season. I still like Jeudy as the No. 1 wideout for the Browns though.

Joe Flacco being the quarterback is a plus for him, and I like Jeudy's chances of starting the season with a bang. He'd rank even higher if he had a bit better matchup.

Flowers has a so-so matchup (based on last year) against the Bills. He's easily the top wideout for the Ravens, and in a game that should feature plenty of points and yards, Flowers is a good fantasy option.

I could see Flowers ranking much higher by the end of the week than where I had him, but with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry there to steal scores, that's what led to me putting Flowers in the 20s.

Egbuka has a super favorable matchup against the Falcons. I liked that matchup enough to put Mike Evans at No. 6, and have another Bucs' wideout in the top 25.

Egbuka will take on a larger role early on as the team plays without Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. I see big things coming for the rookie, and it will start in week 1 against Atlanta.

Moore has the best fantasy matchup (Vikings) based on last year's numbers. He'd rank way higher if Chicago didn't have a ton of pass catchers on the team.

Moore is hindered by his own teammates, and quarterback for that matter. I could see him delivering a monster week, but I feel safest taking him in the mid-20s.

Sutton has the toughest matchup (Titans) possible for a wideout in week 1. I am a believer in the Broncos' offense though, so I'm not shying away from Sutton, I'm just lowering his fantasy ceiling a bit.

He's easily the top wideout and pass catcher for Denver, and on volume alone, Sutton should be good or great weeks.

Waddle has a pretty average test against the Colts in week 1. He gets a boost with De'Von Achane and Tyreek Hill battling injuries heading into the week.

Throw in that Darren Waller is still not in game shape totally and Waddle could really surprise in week 1.

Pearsall has a pretty average test against the Seahawks in week 1. He gets an early-season boost with Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk battling injuries.

That should lead Pearsall to being the top wideout. He still has to contend with tight end George Kittle, but Pearsall could really start his season strong.

Williams has a tough matchup against the Packers, which is why he didn't make my top 30. I had Amon-Ra St. Brown barely inside my top 10, so the matchup simply scares me a bit.

Williams also has to contend with tight end Sam LaPorta, so in these tougher matchups, he's not the best starting option. 

Golden's first game against the Lions is a pretty favorable matchup for the rookie. I just don't know how things are going to shake out for the pass catchers, and until I see things, I'm not putting him in my top 30.

I think Golden could turn into a must-start fantasy wideout in time, but I'd like to see things first.

Ridley has a tougher test against the Broncos, which is part of the reason why he's not a top-30 guy for me.

He had been dealing with soreness too, but is off the injury report now. The tough matchup, injury news and the fact that a first-time starting quarterback (Cameron Ward) will be throwing to him just isn't the best situation for Ridley in week 1.

Start Decisions

I'm not changing the rankings for any of the receivers I already had ranked in my top 30, but that leaves four guys still to choose between.

Williams, Ridley and Pickens all have tougher matchups, while Golden has a favorable matchup, but no history to go on. It really makes choosing between those guys a tough task. 

I'm all about getting a fantasy season off to a hot start, but with no games to go off this season, all we can do is base things off previous years. I tend to trust the numbers, and that's what I'm going to do again here.

Give me Golden as the top wideout of the four remaining guys we have to rank. I'm taking his upside over the three wideouts with the tougher matchups.

After him, I'd go with Williams. The Lions' offense has been there and done that, and despite having a new look for 2025, I believe in Williams over Ridley or Pickens.

Give me Ridley over Pickens. The biggest reason why is because Ridley is his team's top receiver, and Pickens is WR2 to Lamb. Both could still put up good numbers in their roles, but Ridley's chances of delivering are a bit better, so I'm rolling with him.