Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is finally here and the campaign will kick off on Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
George Pickens start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice
We break down the fantasy football outlook of George Pickens ahead of the Cowboys’ Week 1 opener against the Eagles.
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The spotlight of the football world is on the Cowboys in the aftermath of the Micah Parsons trade and there’s genuine curiosity into how they will perform against the reigning Super Bowl champions to open the season. The offense will feature a handful of new faces, one of which being wide receiver George Pickens. He enters the season with an ADP (average draft position) in the 20’s of both standard and PPR formats according to FantasyPros and will be relied upon as Dallas’ No. 2 receiving option behind CeeDee Lamb.
Below, we’ll go over Pickens’ outlook in fantasy football for Week 1.
Fantasy Football analysis: Cowboys WR George Pickens
Pickens was traded by the Steelers to the Cowboys in May, ending his three-year stint with the AFC franchise. Coming off a breakout 1,100+ yard campaign in 2023, he had another productive year last season despite missing three games with a hamstring injury, racking up 59 receptions for exactly 900 yards and two touchdowns. That was good enough for the former Georgia Bulldog to end the year floating around the top 40 in both standard and PPR formats, making him a solid Flex option in deeper leagues.
It should also be noted that the wideout is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so there will be incentive for him to put his best foot forward to attract interest from potential suitors in free agency next offseason.
Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?
Start. Dallas enters the season opener as a big road underdog and will most likely be playing from behind for most of the game. That will lead to more passing opportunities for the Cowboys’ offense and should open up more looks for Pickens. He’s a good Thursday-night Flex option that could set an early tone for your lineup, so I’d start him in this spot.
Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?
Start. You could see the volume of targets really increase in the second half as Dak Prescott tries to march his team back into the game. Pickens should be worth a Flex start in PPR leagues as well.
