George Pickens Will Be A League Winner In Round 5 Of Fantasy Football Drafts
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Renegade Fantasy Sports, George Pickens as a league winner, team names, the best ball portfolio, and more.
I whiffed on a lot of things last year, but none of them haunt me as much as the veteran RBs who changed teams.
I completely undervalued the change of scenery for Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, and Josh Jacobsāall of whom smashed their ADP.
This year we donāt have any comparable RBs changing teams, but we do have a very intriguing veteran WR in George Pickens who is moving to much greener pastures.
Dwain got me hyped on what the change of scenery from Pittsburgh to Dallas could mean for him in his recent late-breakout piece:
āArthur Smith's teams have an average dropback rate of 53% over the last three years versus 62% for Brian Schottenheimer (under Mike McCarthy). I have the Cowboys projected for 66 more dropbacks than the Steelers this yearāthe equivalent of two extra games' worth of pass attempts.ā
Drafters generally dislike taking āWR2sā on their own team ā¦ until they smash, like Tee Higgins did last year.
Itās actually pretty interesting to compare Pickensā stats to Higgins, which you can do via our slick Utilization Report comparison tool.
Their routes, targets per route run, and end zone targets are nearly identical. The only difference, of course, is Higgins was catching balls from Joe Burrow last year while Pickens was dealing with prayer balls from the husk of Russell Wilson.
Combine all of that with some recent, extremely bullish quotes Brian Schottenheimer and you have all of the ingredients for a late-career, post-hype breakout.
Donāt be surprised when we are all selecting Pickens two rounds earlier next year ā¦ in the exact same spot Higgins goes now.
Your Athlete. Their Future. Our Mission.
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Weāre a trusted recruiting and NIL resource built for high school athletes and their families. From personalized recruiting strategies to NIL education, we guide student-athletes through every step of their journey to college sports. Our team includes former coaches, recruiters, and industry pros who know what it takes to stand out in a crowded field. We donāt promise hype. We deliver a planābuilt around your athleteās goals, strengths, and future. If youāre serious about turning potential into opportunity, letās talk. Because talent deserves direction.
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Manage Your Portfolio With The Best Ball Hub
So youāve drafted all these best ball teams on Underdog all summer, now what? Well, the work is far from done, because thereās more drafting to do, and Fantasy Life has the way to best review those teams to make future decisions to assure you have better player exposure and combinations.
Pete Overzet has a thorough overview on how to use the Best Ball Hub to your best advantage. Learn about the all-important Week 17, where youāll want players going nuclear to win big bucks. Even better, you can use this tool to see how YOUR TEAMS are looking ahead of the 2025 season. ā¤µļø
The Possibilities Are Endless ā¦
A fantasy football team name is more than an identity for a fake football team. It can be anything from a statement to a tribute to a favorite player. It can also be:
- Funny: Thatās What Shaheed Said (Rashid Shaheed)
- Movie reference: The Princess McBride (Trey McBride), Kupp Fiction (Cooper Kupp)
- Clever: Saquon for the Team (Saquon Barkley)
- More Clever: LaPorta Potty (Sam LaPorta)
- NSFW: ...let's save that for later. Avert the eyes of your children!!
As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless. With that, Cooterdoodle submits the best ...
Around the Watercooler
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.
š New passer in new place, but still going to be a QB1? Weāve got this and more superlatives for players on the move in 2025.
š The Commissionerās Playbook reminds us why we play this wonderful game.
š Where will Keenan Allen land? Hereās the latest.
š¤ Trouble in Miami? The fellas are working it out.
š NFL Training Camp updates. Kendall has you covered.
š« I donāt think Kyle Pitts has earned this strut. Letās score some TDs first.
š¶ Stefon Diggs only avoided one PUP list ā¦ but not this one.
š So much for a simple helmet reveal. Man down!
š£ļø J.J. McCarthy with the deep ball. What say you, Thor?
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