In an unusually active Wednesday morning in the month of May, a pair of noteworthy fantasy football wide receivers are on the move. Let’s dive into what that means for upcoming draft plans.
Fantasy football fallout from the George Pickens trade
From the Dallas perspective, this is a major win for the passing game and Dak Prescott, giving the aerial attack a capable deep threat opposite CeeDee Lamb. Pickens has the wheels to get over the top but is not a No. 1 target, so doubles largely neutralize his contributions.
Prescott now has primary targets in Lamb, Pickens, TE Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tolbert, who should growth in his three season a year ago. The acquisition of Pickens helps Lamb slightly, frees up Ferguson over the middle, and kneecaps Tolbert’s fantasy value after a seven-TD 2024 effort. It also makes Prescott a more respectable QB1.
Pickens gets a proven NFL quarterback in his prime, the aforementioned shield of Lamb, and now has to learn a new system for the second time in as many seasons. Volume won’t be his thing, which makes him inherently risky from a weekly consistency perspective, but he’ll be a fringe No. 3 in totality.
From the Steelers’ side of this deal, it opens the door for Calvin Austin to serve as a primary deep threat, and one has to believe quarterback Aaron Rodgers was aware this could be in the works. He had been working out with DK Metcalf and not Pickens, after all.
Veteran Robert Woods may see a larger role than previously expected, but he’s entirely inconsequential. Arthur Smith’s offense really doesn’t afford enough aerial work to consistently make more than two pass catchers fantasy-relevant anyway.
Metcalf is a borderline WR1 with TE Pat Freiermuth being his lone competition for significant targets. It also means the former Seattle Seahawk will be draped in defensive coverage. Not ideal.
Expect the Steelers to add another receiver, perhaps one who was recently released …
Gabe Davis is searching for work
While not even on the fantasy radar for most drafters should he have remained in Jacksonville, Davis now gets a chance to find a better fit for his downfield skill set. That said, being on the move this late in the process limits his options a great deal. Interestingly, Pittsburgh makes a lot of sense for him as a replacement for Pickens. If that doesn’t pan out, don’t be surprised if he waits until the training camp before signing. Davis should remain on your watch list in the meantime.
