2023 Dynasty Target: George Pickens

April 8, 2023 Rhett Manuel

Welcome To Our 2023 Dynasty Target Series!

We’re kicking off this year at Fantasy In Frames with our 2023 Dynasty Target Profile series, where each fantasy analyst will provide you with a 5-10 video breakdown of each player’s current team and playing situation, key stats to take away from their career/most recent season, and their dynasty fantasy football value going forward. Once you’re done viewing this article’s comprehensive breakdown, head to our YouTube channel and support us by subscribing here for more great fantasy football content. Here is our breakdown of 2023 Dynasty Target: George Pickens!

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Player Overview

Pickens is only 22 years old and heading into his second season with the Steelers. While he might be looking at a larger role in 2023, there are few receivers in fantasy who are more unpredictable.

He was as durable as any player in the league last season and appeared in all 17 games for the Steelers. But, the trouble in projecting him comes in his lack of consistent production on a game-to-game basis in his rookie year. That said, I believe there aren’t many second-year receivers I’d be more willing to bet the farm on than him.

Fantasy Summary

Let’s dive into the good, the bad, and the ugly of the man I call Slim.

Pickens was an active part of Pittsburgh’s offense last season, participating in 94 percent of passing routes last year and averaging 31 routes per game, good for 16th among wide receivers. When he was targeted, fellow rookie Kenny Pickett was successful, sporting a 109.3 passer rating on routes directed toward him.

But that was in a limited sample size. Pickens’ targets were fairly minimal, stacking up only 85 on the year. He operated mainly as the Steelers’ big play guy. His average depth of target was 15.6 yards, third among all wide receivers. His 1,323 air yards were 19th among wideouts. Again, that was only on 85 total targets. It gets sweeter.

When he was targeted, 28 of those targets were deep balls, seventh in the NFL among wideouts, and if you break it down it basically came out to 1 of every 3 Pickens targets. And when they chucked it his way, he usually won. The 57.1 percent contested catch rate was 13th in the NFL.

Now I love the idea of a big-play receiver finding himself in year two, but he plays in a Matt Canada offense, which doesn’t bode well for him. His inconsistent play made him look like a superhuman or superhuman on a weekly basis. He managed only two WR1 weeks, and 12 of 17 games had three catches or less. Is that based on his role in the Canada offense or an indictment of him as a player?

This is going to be hard for me to say, but it’s hard for me to draft Pickens highly in 2023 based on last season’s data. I’m a Pickens guy, but the rule of thumb should always be to fall in love with a value and not a player. Pickens is currently being drafted around the 6th round, pick 66, in SuperFlex dynasty drafts.

If you’re trading for him, as of early March it’s around where Dallas Goedert, DJ Moore, Derrick Henry, and Kirk Cousins are being valued. If you were trying to trade for Pickens, one of those players would be a good return. In rookie drafts, Pickens could probably be had for a second-round pick.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our 2023 Dynasty Target Profile on George Pickens. For more information about George Pickens, don’t forget to click on Rhett’s 5-minute video at the top of the screen for more detailed analysis.

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