Last year, the only “-enheimer” dropping bombs was the movie “Oppenheimer.” This year, the “-enheimer” that dropped a bombshell on the NFL was Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys when they traded for George Pickens on Wednesday.
If you do not know the trade details, the Pittsburgh Steelers shipped a 2027 sixth-round draft pick and, importantly, wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
But what is the fantasy football impact for the teams involved and Pickens himself? Well, let’s find out!
The Fantasy Football Impact of George Pickens Traded to the Cowboys
George Pickens Impact
As the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator from 2023-2024, Brian Schottenheimer had to be tired of seeing no other player than CeeDee Lamb surpass 775 receiving yards in a season.
Insert George Pickens. In his first three years as a Pittsburgh Steeler, George Pickens saw at least 50 receptions, 80 targets, 800 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns each season. Then, throw in that he’s averaged at least 9.8 Points Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points per game in every season in Pittsburgh!
The Steelers have a great track record of getting rid of key wide receivers at the right time, as shown by Antonio Brown, Chase Claypool and most recently Diontae Johnson. Undoubtedly, George Pickens got an upgrade, as he got a better quarterback in Dak Prescott throwing him the ball. If in Pittsburgh, it would’ve been down to Mason Rudolph and/or Aaron Rodgers. It’s not the biggest of upgrades, but this puts him in the upper echelon of WR3s this season. This also means he has a more definitive case of having a WR2 upside in PPR formats. All due to a change of scenery at quarterback!
Dallas Cowboys Impact
The Cowboys were highly criticized for not getting any WR2 help for Dak Prescott to complement CeeDee Lamb. That has since changed and it’s good for both Prescott and Lamb. Prescott comfortably slides into the top ten fantasy quarterbacks, as he has only gone two seasons where he started all the games and had two different 800+ yard wide receivers. In those seasons, he never finished lower than seventh or averaged less than 20.7 fantasy points per game. Lamb stays put as a top-five wide receiver, as he was projected to finish for three straight seasons if a shoulder injury didn’t cut last year short.
If there is one Dallas Cowboy that it negatively impacts, it would be Jake Ferguson. He was projected to be second in the pecking order for targets before the trade. Now, he’s easily knocked down to third. If you get less of something, the results usually follow. He’ll now be more of a later-round flier at the tight end position or an average TE1 in deeper leagues. He will still get targets; he just won’t be consistently averaging six targets per game like he was in the past two seasons.
Pittsburgh Steelers Impact
As much as we wanted to see the duo of D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens, that dream only lasted 59 days. However, this trade upgrades D.K. Metcalf as he will see the clear majority of the targets rather than being 1A/1B if Pickens stayed. The issue is undoubtedly the quarterback play, as it is subpar and up in the air, but Metcalf still moves into a more solid WR2 role in fantasy football leagues.
Pat Freiermuth is an interesting option, as this pencils him in as the second option in targets. He quietly put up some solid numbers last year, finishing as the TE9 in PPR scoring and averaging 9.9 fantasy points per game. Even though they only had a weapon at wide receiver in Pickens, the 2024 Steelers had better quarterback play in Justin Fields and even Russell Wilson. So, a magical upgrade at quarterback has to go his way this season and before you think about it, Aaron Rodgers is not that magical upgrade. I see Freiermuth as a top 15 tight end this season with a slight chance that he slides into the top ten
Check out all of our articles on the Fantasy Football Impacts of 2025 NFL Free Agency & Trades:
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- NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners & Losers (Day 3)
- NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners & Losers (Day 2)
- NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners & Losers (Day 1)
- The Fantasy Football Impact of D.K. Metcalf Traded to the Steelers
- The Fantasy Football Impact of Geno Smith Traded to the Raiders
- The Fantasy Football Impact of Christian Kirk Traded to the Texans
- The Fantasy Football Impact of Deebo Samuel Traded to the Commanders
Thanks for reading “The Fantasy Football Impact of George Pickens traded to the Cowboys.” If you’re looking for more fantasy content like this or need help with the last-minute fantasy football start/sit decisions for your roster, you can find me on Facebook at “Fantasy Sports Start or Sit’Em Questions,” Twitter/X @FSSOSEQ or on BlueSky!
*Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire — USA TODAY Sports*
