Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets and George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers are both talented wideouts who are partly saddled by inconsistent quarterback play. However, each receiver has no shortage of upside and can deliver a strong fantasy return on any given week.
Which of the two explosive second-year stars is the better start option for fantasy football managers this week?
Garrett Wilson’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The sky was believed to be the limit for Wilson coming into this season with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback. Naturally, that all changed four offensive plays into the Jets’ season.
The second-year wideout and Rodgers fill-in Zach Wilson did get plenty of opportunity to work together in 2022. However, the downgrade from Rodgers to the third-year signal-caller is clear and inevitably has affected the receiver’s production.
Nevertheless, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has been showing signs of life on the stat sheet, producing a 20-204 line on 33 targets in his last three contests. He’s been targeted on an impressive 30.8 percent of his routes over that span and has logged eight red-zone looks.
In Week 8, Wilson draws a matchup that is somewhat of a mixed bag. While the opposing Giants are tied with several teams for the third-most touchdown catches surrendered to wide receivers (seven) and have allowed a 12.4 ypc to the position, they also give up only 166.7 passing yards per game at home, albeit at an elevated 10.0 yards per completion.
The factor that could cap Wilson’s overall Week 8 opportunity and production could be the Giants’ true weakness on defense — the run.
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With a star running back that can score from anywhere on the field in Breece Hall and Big Blue surrendering 137.3 rushing yards per contest and 5.0 yards per carry to running backs, Robert Saleh may be inclined to lean heavily on his ground attack as long as the game script allows it.
George Pickens’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
Similar to his just-discussed Jets counterpart, Pickens has shown plenty of glimpses of solid play despite an inconsistent young quarterback in Kenny Pickett.
However, the duo seems to be increasingly delivering on their potential. With his five-catch, 107-yard effort against the Rams in Week 7, Pickens has now recorded back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time in his career.
He’s eclipsed the century mark on three occasions this season after only doing so once in his rookie 2022 campaign. Pickens accounts for 46.6 percent of his team’s air yards and 26.6 percent of the Steelers’ targets.
Moreover, Pickens has averaged an impressive 6.6 yards after catch per reception, which has helped lead to a stellar average of 18.5 yards per grab.
Additionally, the matchup for Pickens in Week 8 is appealing despite the fact it involves the Jaguars’ talented defense. While Jacksonville has been tough against the run, the Jags are surrendering 273.9 passing yards per game, including an NFL-high 321.3 over the last three contests.
Jacksonville is also tied with the Bears for the second-most touchdown receptions allowed to receivers (eight). Meanwhile, Pickens, who boasts excellent size at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, is arguably overdue for some red-zone looks after drawing a modest four through six games.
Which of the Two Wide Receivers Should You Start?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings tab Pickens as the player to start. His projected 11.9 fantasy points in standard full-PPR formats include a projection of 58.7 receiving yards on 3.8 receptions, along with 1.5 rushing yards. In turn, Wilson projects for 4.4 receptions, albeit for a slightly lower 57.8 receiving yards.
When isolating my rankings, I concur with Pickens being the slightly better option for a start. Pickett has been more productive and reliable than Zach Wilson overall, and the chemistry between Pickett and Pickens is burgeoning.
While both receivers are close in talent, the tiebreaker for me is in the matchup and expected game environment. The Jets may opt, as they often do, to only lean heavily on their air attack if pushed to, which the Giants may not be capable of.
In turn, the Steelers will likely have to turn frequently to the pass due to the run-stopping proficiency of the Jags, and the matchup there is favorable by the numbers for Pickens.
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