The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17. 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 17?
Week 17 Status: PLAYING
After being listed as limited on Sunday’s practice report, Pickens was upgraded to a full participant on Monday. He practiced in full again on Tuesday and is ready to go for Christmas.
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 17?
Pickens (Grade 2 hamstring strain) missed the first game of his career in Week 13, and his absence extended through last week.
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 Pickens 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.
The Chiefs are a tough matchup for anyone, though they’ve been a little more gettable of late. Prior to suffering the devastating knee injury last week, Tank Dell lit this secondary up for 21.8 PPR points, the third time a receiver hit 20 points against them this season – that’s a small number in the scope of the season, but all three have come since Week 12.
My greater concern as a Pickens manager is that Kansas City has largely been vulnerable to secondary options. On Saturday, it was Dell, not Nico Collins. Earlier this season, David Moore was Carolina’s most productive receiver in this matchup, while back in Week 11, Curtis Samuel was Buffalo’s top producer.
I think that Pickens will give it a go at Christmas. The division is a toss-up at this point, and while the short week here is a pain, he does get the benefit of a mini-bye ahead of Week 18’s finale against the Bengals. Assuming positive reporting, I’ll have him ranked as a high-end WR3 – one that can offer tremendous upside alongside the risk you’re taking with his bulky hamstring.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
George Pickens’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Thursday, Pickens is projected to score 13.8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.5 receptions for 74.2 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.
George Pickens’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
