Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens Underrated in WR Rankings Because of Each Other

George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb should each be one tier higher in Pro Football Focus' fantasy football wide receiver rankings.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Separately, Dallas Cowboys wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens would be elite and borderline elite assets at receiver in fantasy football.

However, in the fantasy football receiver rankings of Pro Football Focus, we see the impact they can have on one another.

PFF's Nathan Jahnke put together his rankings of the top-100 wide receivers in fantasy football for 2026 and Lamb fell in the second tier at No. 6 overall while Pickens was No. 10 and in the third tier.

Jahnke believes that the presence of Pickens will make it difficult to get back to the numbers he posted in 2023.

"Pickens' presence will make it difficult for Lamb to reach the fantasy heights of 2023, but he remains a very safe bet for another top-10 finish if healthy," Jahnke wrote.

Jahnke doesn't say as much, but the general belief is that Lamb being healthy for an entire season could contribute to Pickens regressing from his career-best campaign in 2025.

Why Lamb, Pickens are underrated

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) react during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2023 campaign Jahnke is talking about was a career year for Lamb and cemented him as the elite wide receiver he is. Lamb exploded for 1,749 yards and 12 scores that season, which followed a 1,359-yard, nine touchdown showing in 2022.

Lamb's production has dipped in each of the past two seasons to 1,194 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 and 1,077 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.

But he has also missed five games in that span, with two in 2024 and three in 2025. Adding to those absences last season, Lamb exited contests early in Week 3 and 18.

If you were to take Lamb's yards per game averages in 2024 and 2025 (minus his two early exits) and extrapolate them out over 17 games, Lamb would have eclipsed 1,300 yards in four consecutive years, and he would have broken 1,500 yards last season despite having Pickens lining up across from him. In our opinion, that should be enough to put him in Tier 1.

We would not put Pickens in Tier 1 despite an elite season in 2025, as he still has more to prove with only one other 1,000-yard season under his belt.

However, breaking 1,400 yards and scoring nine touchdowns and ranking as WR5 overall in PPR despite having an elite wideout across from him should land Pickens in Tier 2.

Predictions for Lamb and Pickens

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Lamb can stay healthy, there is no reason why he can't finish with around 1,400 yards and close to 10 touchdowns, which would put him in elite company among wide receivers in fantasy football.

As for Pickens, we expect regression. That's not a knock on him, it's just tough for a player to produce 1,400 yards two years in a row, and especially with a guy like Lamb across from him.

A year of regression will still lead to a showing that the vast majority of wide receivers in the league would die for. We have Pickens' floor at about 1,100 yards and around five scores.