George Pickens, where did we go wrong?

[MacDaddy123]

I just traded away Brandon Aiyuk for Pickens 5 days ago.

WOAH.

This will be one I will look forward to monitoring going forward.

All reports out of camp are that Aiyuk is ab-so-lutely killing it right now...

All reports out of camp are that Pickens is absolutely killing it right now too.
Pickens is 3 years younger.

You have to give up something to get something.
Rondale Moore isn't going to get Pickens for me.

My team in that league is VERY young, and I will not be competing in 2022 at all.
I am the projected 2023 1.01 owner.

Just finished a dynasty startup, and now have Treylon Burks, Skyy Moore, Jahan Dotson, Jameson Williams, George Pickens, David Bell, and Wan'Dale Robinson on my roster, along with three 23 1sts, two 23 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths.

Interesting fact is that when I made this trade, Aiyuk was rated higher on KTC, supposedly I should have gotten a 23 3rd back to even the trade. I liked Pickens better, so I didn't dicker, made the offer straight up.

On Saturday, Pickens value had climbed up to 1 WR slot ahead of Aiyuk.
Today, Pickens is ranked 3 WR slots ahead of Aiyuk.

I like Aiyuk too, I just like Pickens better.

[SteveMaddensShoes]

That’s gamble-y and I don’t love it but it’s not a big deal either. Not like you traded DJM for him. Always fun to get your guy

[Bot101]

I offered an early/mid 23 1st + Julio Jones for him and the offer was declined

I just offered Jerry Jeudy for him, and was declined.

The Pickens train is in full motion.

Yup, that is wild. He has quickly ascended into top 50-65 ADP type value based on that.

As a Pickens owner in both my leagues, I'd have rejected the Jeudy one without much thought. Granted I've never been a big Jeudy fan. The early/mid 23 1st + Julio gives me pause. Julio does nothing for me at this point, but if I knew for almost absolutely certainty that the pick will be early I would take it. But if its a toss up like it could be a mid or later than nah, Id rather have Pickens in part because I like rostering players that I enjoy watching. And seeing Pickens play football gives me inner happiness.

My final top 12 rankings when I drafted were:

Hall

London
Wilson

Moore
Pickens

Walker
Burks
Olave
Williams
Dotson

Cook
Watson

[Cameron Giles]

For a team that's competing, trading Pickens for Jeudy seems logical. Jeudy is very talented in his own right, has all the makings of a 3Y Breakout right now and has the better QB for the forseeable future.

For a complete rebuild, Pickens makes more sense.

[FantasyFreak]

For a team that's competing, trading Pickens for Jeudy seems logical. Jeudy is very talented in his own right, has all the makings of a 3Y Breakout right now and has the better QB for the forseeable future.

For a complete rebuild, Pickens makes more sense.

I'd much rather have Pickens. I don't see Jeudy as being a relevant player on a true contender, all indications are Sutton is the guy, and although Jeudy may be able to provide a WR3/flex play for a top FF team, and I do think Patrick's injury may help Jeudy slightly, but it won't help their offense, that's for sure. I'd much rather have Pickens, on a contender, or rebuilder. It's so easy to get cheaper WR production with vets. Trade for Thielen, for example. I'd want Pickens over Jeudy regardless of team build.

[Space Cowboy]

Pickens did more in his first 5 minutes than Jeudy did in 2 years. Unless you count catching a TD pass of a DBs head as some sort of accomplishment.

[Cameron Giles]

For a team that's competing, trading Pickens for Jeudy seems logical. Jeudy is very talented in his own right, has all the makings of a 3Y Breakout right now and has the better QB for the forseeable future.

For a complete rebuild, Pickens makes more sense.

I'd much rather have Pickens. I don't see Jeudy as being a relevant player on a true contender, all indications are Sutton is the guy, and although Jeudy may be able to provide a WR3/flex play for a top FF team, and I do think Patrick's injury may help Jeudy slightly, but it won't help their offense, that's for sure. I'd much rather have Pickens, on a contender, or rebuilder. It's so easy to get cheaper WR production with vets. Trade for Thielen, for example. I'd want Pickens over Jeudy regardless of team build.

With Patrick out, Denver's targets basically funnel into Sutton and Jeudy this season. Both are going to clear 100 targets this year easily. I think that puts him on a higher map than a Flex player, especially with the Wilson upgrade. It's basically an Evans/Godwin situation where both have pretty high upside and it doesn't matter who the perceived "guy" is.

Don't get me wrong, Pickens has more natural talent than Jeudy, but he's still a rookie in an offense that doesn't have as high of a ceiling as Denver this season, has some legitimate QB questions, and he's competing with more players than Jeudy is. It's not a trade I'd seek out if I owned Pickens, but definitely something I'd consider if I'm looking for points this season and with the hype, I could probably even squeeze Jeudy+ out of it.

[SteveMaddensShoes]

For a team that's competing, trading Pickens for Jeudy seems logical. Jeudy is very talented in his own right, has all the makings of a 3Y Breakout right now and has the better QB for the forseeable future.

For a complete rebuild, Pickens makes more sense.

I'd much rather have Pickens. I don't see Jeudy as being a relevant player on a true contender, all indications are Sutton is the guy, and although Jeudy may be able to provide a WR3/flex play for a top FF team, and I do think Patrick's injury may help Jeudy slightly, but it won't help their offense, that's for sure. I'd much rather have Pickens, on a contender, or rebuilder. It's so easy to get cheaper WR production with vets. Trade for Thielen, for example. I'd want Pickens over Jeudy regardless of team build.

With Patrick out, Denver's targets basically funnel into Sutton and Jeudy this season. Both are going to clear 100 targets this year easily. I think that puts him on a higher map than a Flex player, especially with the Wilson upgrade. It's basically an Evans/Godwin situation where both have pretty high upside and it doesn't matter who the perceived "guy" is.

Don't get me wrong, Pickens has more natural talent than Jeudy, but he's still a rookie in an offense that doesn't have as high of a ceiling as Denver this season, has some legitimate QB questions, and he's competing with more players than Jeudy is. It's not a trade I'd seek out if I owned Pickens, but definitely something I'd consider if I'm looking for points this season and with the hype, I could probably even squeeze Jeudy+ out of it.

I traded Jeudy for a 23 1st to be on the safe side but I don’t see how anyone thinks the volume won’t be there. It’s Russ. He will get 100 targets and catch 80 for 1000 and 6tds without any trouble. That’s kind of a floor imo. Idk his ceiling. But the other floor is an injury and that would be a disaster for his adp. Hence my decision to move on

[Ice]

The Hype is getting out of control at this point. He may be great;

In 2019 he had 49 Receptions in 12 Games
In 2020 he had 36 Receptions In 8 Games
In 2021 he had 4 Receptions in 5 games

So yes a strong camp, a good catch in a preseason game and heck; He should be worth 2 high 2023 first rounders by mid week.

[SteveMaddensShoes]

The Hype is getting out of control at this point. He may be great;

In 2019 he had 49 Receptions in 12 Games
In 2020 he had 36 Receptions In 8 Games
In 2021 he had 4 Receptions in 5 games

So yes a strong camp, a good catch in a preseason game and heck; He should be worth 2 first high 2023 first rounders by mid week.

I normally value your wr scouting input highly. What’s your take on him?

[Ice]

The Hype is getting out of control at this point. He may be great;

In 2019 he had 49 Receptions in 12 Games
In 2020 he had 36 Receptions In 8 Games
In 2021 he had 4 Receptions in 5 games

So yes a strong camp, a good catch in a preseason game and heck; He should be worth 2 first high 2023 first rounders by mid week.

I normally value your wr scouting input highly. What’s your take on him?

I actually like him quite a bit. His hand position at the catch point isn't always great but he has sticky hands which is a bit surprising given the size of his hands. I usually discount players with under 9" hands but he looks pretty good. He has really good body control which will offset his lack of ideal burst. That said, I do like his ability to take short steps in tight areas. This helps with direction off the line to beat press coverage. I see him more as an intermediate to deep route type. I like him as solid WR2 on his team. He is a fighter and could develop into a team's Wr1. Diontae could really help him understand the nuances of routes if they work together over time.

This is a very strong class so I wouldn't put him top 5 but he does have potential to excel. The flags to me are hand size and his burst but there is a lot to like as a X type WR.

[SteveMaddensShoes]

Thanks for the feedback, sir. Very helpful as always.

[gogobradyarm]

I gotta be honest, I give zero thought into hand size about a guy that broke out at a young age in the SEC and has solid draft capital, along with many other variables.

[FantasyFreak]

I gotta be honest, I give zero thought into hand size about a guy that broke out at a young age in the SEC and has solid draft capital, along with many other variables.

Especially with his ball skills.

[SteveMaddensShoes]

I gotta be honest, I give zero thought into hand size about a guy that broke out at a young age in the SEC and has solid draft capital, along with many other variables.

Especially with his ball skills.

Likely a connection here regarding the sticky hands.