The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR George Pickens.
Is George Pickens Playing in Week 13?
Pickens is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Steelers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit George Pickens in Week 13?
After clearing 16 PPR points in three of four games, George Pickens fell flat in the elements against the Browns on Thursday night, turning seven targets into just 8.8 points.
I’m not worried.
The Steelers continued to take shots to him (Week 12: 20.6 aDOT) and that is where he is going to produce when not playing in a borderline blizzard. We saw him haul in one of those deep passes (31-yard juggling reception) and if there isn’t some sort of miscommunication and/or an off-target throw in the end zone, fantasy managers would have left last week feeling very different.
How many times do you think a receiver has cleared 17 PPR points against the Bengals this season?
That number sits at 11 through 11 games. That number is enough to play Pickens with confidence without context, but let’s highlight some of the names on that list.
- Diontae Johnson (Week 4): 21.3 PPR points
- Tylan Wallace (Week 10): 20.5
- Xavier Legette (Week 4): 19.6
- Cedric Tillman (Week 7): 18.1
- Rashod Bateman (Week 10): 17.4
It hasn’t just been the upper tier of receivers that have taken full advantage of this vulnerable secondary – anyone on the field has a chance. Russell Wilson has made it clear that he trusts Pickens in a major way and that gives him the potential to return WR1 value this weekend.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
George Pickens’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Pickens is projected to score 17.6 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.8 receptions for 95.2 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Chiefs' Defense
The Chiefs had another above-average game in Week 16, posting a 77.8 grade vs. the Texans. Three of this unit’s six best performances have come in the last month, vaulting Steve Spagnuolo’s group hovering around the top 10.
One encouraging sign for the Chiefs? Their steadily improving pass rush.
Kansas City posted its fifth-best non-blitz pressure rate (38.5%) of the season vs. Houston, a week after posting their sixth-best against Cleveland. For the season, the Chiefs have become a slightly above-average pressure unit (14th in non-blitz pressure rate) despite much hand-wringing about the lack of supporting pass rushers next to Chris Jones.
Kansas City’s positive turnover regression luck also continued, as the Chiefs forced two more takeaways against the Texans. That gives KC eight takeaways in its last two games after just 10 takeaways in its first 13 games combined. Only two of those takeaways have come with pressure, so the Chiefs actually have room to grow in that category, even if they can’t rely on averaging four takeaways per game over any sustained period of time.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
George Pickens’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 AM ET on Wednesday, December 25. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. BAL)
7) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
8) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at PHI)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
10) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
11) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
12) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
13) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
15) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
16) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
17) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
18) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
19) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
20) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
21) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
22) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
26) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
27) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
28) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
29) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
31) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
32) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
33) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
34) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
35) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
39) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
40) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
41) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
42) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
43) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
44) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
45) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
46) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
49) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
50) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
51) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
53) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NO)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. LAC)
75) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
76) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
77) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
78) Sterling Shepard | TB (vs. CAR)
79) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
80) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
81) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
82) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. ATL)
83) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
84) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
85) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
86) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
87) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
88) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
89) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
90) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
91) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
92) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
93) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
94) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
95) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
96) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
97) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
99) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. MIA)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)
Chiefs at Steelers Trends and Insights
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: The Chiefs are one of 32 teams in the NFL (3.1%) – they have accounted for 13.3% of the 5+ game win streaks since the start of 2022.
QB: Patrick Mahomes recorded the longest touchdown run of his career on Saturday (15 yards) and now has a 10+ yard carry in three straight games for the first time in the regular season since Weeks 1-4 last year.
Offense: Saturday was the third time this season in which they averaged 3+ points per drive (they had three such games last regular season as well).
Defense: Kansas City has allowed under 20 points in four straight games, their third-longest streak since 2016.
Fantasy: It’s been a struggle for Isiah Pacheco of late, but it hasn’t been all his fault – 0.44 yards per carry before contact over his past three games.
Betting: Since 2022, unders are 8-1 when the Chiefs play on short rest.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: From Week 9 of 2022 through Week 2 of this season, the Steelers had one losing streak – they’ve had two since.
QB: George Pickens missed three straight games, and in those contests, Russell Wilson was 10-of-26 with one touchdown and one interception when pressured (two games prior: 14-of-24 with three scores and zero picks).
Offense: Pittsburgh has turned the ball over on 7.2% of their drives at home this season (road: 9.1%).
Defense: The Steelers have allowed 7.7 yards per pass since Week 12 (Weeks 1-11: 6.9). They are 8-0 this season, when allowing under 29 yards per drive (2-5 otherwise).
Fantasy: Najee Harris has yet to reach 45 rushing yards in a loss this season and has just seven receiving yards over his past three games (two targets earned).
Betting: Since 2005, the Steelers are 8-1 ATS on a short week in Week 15 or later (9-0 outright with a +130 point differential).