UPDATE: After reports said Pickens was expected to play Sunday vs. the Browns, the receiver has been ruled out for this contest. Pickens leads the Steelers with a 27.7% target share this season and with him out, Calvin Austin ($3,300), Van Jefferson ($3,200) and Mike Williams ($3,800) should all see larger roles.
UPDATE: Pickens is expected to play Sunday vs. the Browns, but will be tested pre-game to make sure he’s good to go, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Every Friday at 3 p.m. ET, DraftKings Sportsbook analyst Steve Buchanan and NFL guru Meghan Townsley chop up the latest injury news on Injury Report Live! Check out what they have to say about this latest injury to George Pickens (hamstring).
In somewhat of a surprise, George Pickens ($6,800) was a late addition to Friday’s injury report. The Steelers are currently listing the wideout as questionable due to an issue with his hamstring. Should the former second-round pick miss any time, it would be a huge blow to an improving Pittsburgh offense. Last week against the Bengals, quarterback Russell Wilson ($5,900) threw for 414 yards, with Pickens snagging 74 of them in addition to a touchdown. Should the team be without its best receiver, head coach Mike Tomlin might favor a run-first approach against a Browns defense giving up the tenth-most rush yards in football (128.6 YPG).
What should fantasy managers expect from the Steelers this weekend? Meghan (@mtownsleyy) and Steve (@SBuchanan24) discussed Pickens’ status during Friday’s edition of Injury Report Live:
- Steve is adamant that Pickens will play this week, primarily due to his weeks-long feud with Browns cornerback Greg Newsome.
- When these two teams last met in Week 12, Pickens tallied just four catches for 48 yards. However, that game was played in the brutal Cleveland snow, so this Sunday should see more offense on both sides.
See their full analysis here:
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