The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16. 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 16?
It’s been two weeks since we saw Pickens play football after straining his hamstring at practice. He did not practice at all this week and won’t play on Saturday.
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.
George Pickens’ Fantasy Outlook
Pickens (Grade 2 hamstring injury) missed the first game of his career in Week 13, and his absence extended through last weekend.
The upside is no secret (six finishes as a WR2 or better), but we can’t let that distract you from three finishes outside of the top 55 receivers, a floor that is at an increased risk of impacting Week 15 if a compromised version of him is trying to play.
Generally speaking, I love the way this Russell Wilson-led offense looks for Pickens. With the veteran calling the shots, Pittsburgh’s WR1 has produced 17.2% over expectations and has eight end-zone targets in six games.
There are various injuries peppering the board this week, many of which I’m happy to avoid altogether — this is not one of those spots. Back in Week 11 when these teams first met, Pickens finished with an 8-89-0 line and earned 37.5% of the targets.
Keep an eye on his injury status moving forward.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 16 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
George Pickens’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 16
Pickens is projected to score 0 points in Week 16.
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 12:45 AM ET on Friday, December 27. 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) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
9) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
10) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
11) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
12) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
13) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
14) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
15) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
16) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
17) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
18) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
19) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
20) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
21) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
22) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
26) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
27) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
28) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
29) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
30) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
31) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
32) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
33) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
34) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
35) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
36) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
39) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
40) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
41) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
42) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
43) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
45) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
46) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
49) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
50) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
51) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
52) Xavier Legette | CAR (at TB)
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) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
76) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
77) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
78) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
79) Sterling Shepard | TB (vs. CAR)
80) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
81) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
82) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
83) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. ATL)
84) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
85) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
86) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
87) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
88) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
89) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
90) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
91) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
92) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
93) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
94) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
95) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
96) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
97) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
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).