This week, we got big news for Dynasty purposes via an NFL trade. George Pickens is now headed to Dallas to play alongside CeeDee Lamb and QB Dak Prescott. Per Adam Schefter, the Cowboys only had to give up a third-round pick and a fifth/sixth-round swap.
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From a real-life perspective, this is a pretty sweet deal for the Cowboys, a team in dire need of some pass-catching help for Dak. Pickens is in the last year of his rookie deal, so he’s still incredibly cheap relative to his expected production.
I’ll give you a quick breakdown on how this affects those players directly involved in this trade from a Dynasty perspective. Let’s start with Dallas.
George Pickens (WR – DAL)
This news has to be a stock-up for Pickens, who saw his Dynasty value dip following the DK Metcalf trade. He was stuck in a murky situation in Pittsburgh heading into 2025. He was without a clear starting quarterback, playing in a run-heavy scheme under OC Arthur Smith, and the Steelers had just traded for DK Metcalf and signed him to a massive extension. Metcalf has a similar skillset to Pickens, making the move a bit of a head-scratcher at the time.
Pickens is the clear WR2 behind Lamb, but he likely would have been the same behind Metcalf in Pittsburgh, and the fit makes much more sense in Dallas, given Lamb works primarily from the slot. He goes from a team that threw under 500 times in 2025 to a team that threw over 600. I’ve moved Pickens up to my Dynasty WR24 and my 63rd overall Superflex asset.
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
I haven’t moved Lamb at all in my rankings. He’s still my Dynasty WR4 and my 9th-ranked Superflex player overall. The added competition doesn’t concern me at all. Lamb is still the top dog in this offense, and Pickens should take some attention away from Lamb, leading to easier matchups. Lamb is in the prime of his career and should be set up for another 20+ PPR points per game season.
Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL)
The obvious stock down here is Jalen Tolbert, who was technically the WR2 on this depth chart prior to the Pickens trade. Tolbert posted his best numbers this past season, but still only managed to muster a 13.4% target rate and 1.10 yards per route run (YPRR). Tolbert was never a true #2 option and was never going to be someone you could trust in your starting lineups in fantasy, regardless of target competition. This move essentially makes Tolbert a roster-clogger in Dynasty.
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Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL)
Similar to Tolbert, this is a pretty clear stock-down for Ferguson in my mind. Lamb and Pickens are going to eat first, with Tolbert and Ferguson seeing a smaller piece of the pie as a result. Ferguson is my current TE25 in Dynasty. He’s good enough to plug-and-play when your TE1 is on bye week, but that’s about it.
Dak Prescott (QB – DAL)
I didn’t adjust Prescott in my rankings following this draft news, as I don’t think this drastically changes his projectable fantasy production in the short term. Pickens will make this offense more exciting to watch, and maybe Dak sees a marginal increase in efficiency, but we know who Prescott is at this point. He’s an aging pocket quarterback who will get you 17-20 FPPG for the next few seasons. Prescott is my Dynasty QB18 and 48th overall prospect in Superflex formats.
Let’s finish this up with the Pittsburgh side of things.
DK Metcalf (WR – PITT)
This is a slight stock-up for Metcalf, now Pittsburgh’s clear X-receiver and top option. The contract confirmed this before the trade went down, but now we have no doubt. The problem is, we don’t know who will be under center for Pittsburgh in 2025 (and beyond). This team loves to run the football and will, in all likelihood, be a below-average offense. Metcalf has not managed to hit 15 PPR points per game since 2020. He’s been fine as a fantasy asset over the years, but far from a league winner. We may see a tick-up in fantasy production with so little target competition around him. I’m just not sure how high the ceiling truly is.
I’ve moved Metcalf up a few spots in my Dynasty rankings while also trying to temper expectations. He’s right behind Pickens in my positional ranks (WR25), and my 66th overall Superflex asset.
Pittsburgh QB1
Whether this ends up being Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Aaron Rodgers, or none of the above, Pickens leaving Pittsburgh should be considered a stock down. Make the case that Pickens was a distraction to the organization if you want, but he’s an elite athlete and a playmaker at the end of the day, and any sane quarterback would rather throw to him than a 33-year-old Robert Woods along the sidelines. Rumors are circulating that the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers are close to finalizing a deal, which would obviously be the best situation for the Pittsburgh skill players.
Pat Freiermuth (TE- PIT)
I was in on Freiermuth after his rookie season in 2021, where he posted over 500 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He wasn’t overly efficient per route in his first season, but historically, we hadn’t seen that kind of raw production from a rookie tight end often, so I assumed he had Top 5 upside at his position. Whether it’s due to Pittsburgh’s offensive scheme or Pat’s limitations as a player, things haven’t panned out thus far, as he’s failed to hit 10 PPR points per game in a season.
With the departure of Pickens, Freiermuth is back to being the presumed #2 pass catcher in this offense. I’ve moved him up a hair in my Dynasty ranks (TE22, 150th overall), but if anyone thinks this is truly bullish for Freiermuth, I’d sell him in a heartbeat.
I have a few shares of Kaleb Johnson, and I’m close to even with the market on Metcalf, so I’m not fading this offense entirely. Overall, this trade was a stock-up for most Dynasty assets involved, outside of Tolbert and whoever the Steelers put under center this year.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
