Pickens seen as most valuable Steeler for PPR leagues

When it comes to fantasy football, George Pickens is seen as the most valuable Steeler for PPR leagues this season, according to Pro Football Focus. 

In PFF's 2024 PPR top 400 rankings, Pickens was the highest-ranked Steeler at No. 60. Running back Jaylen Warren was ranked at No. 79 while Najee Harris was only six spots behind at No. 85. They were the only Steelers in the top 100 as Pat Freiermuth earned the next best ranking at No. 137. The Steelers defense also earned a top 200 ranking at No. 187. 

The rest of the Steelers who made the list: Roman Wilson, No. 194; Russell Wilson, No. 221; Calvin Austin, No. 275; Justin Fields, No. 276; Quez Watkins, No. 311; Chris Boswell, No. 339; Van Jefferson, No. 347; Darnell Washington, No. 375.

Pickens, Warren and Harris earning top honors for the Steelers should come as no surprise. The offense isn't exactly set up to light the world on fire, from a fantasy perspective at least. However, these three are going to be at the center of the offensive attack, outside of Wilson and Fields.

Pickens is coming off his first 1,000-yard season where he caught 63 passes and scored five touchdowns. As the roster is currently constructed, he is slotted in as the No. 1 receiver, so he's more than likely going to garner the most targets in 2024. Last season, he tallied 19 more than Diontae Johnson and 32 more than Warren, who was third on the team. The next closest receiver was Allen Robinson with 49. Freiermuth tallied 47. However, Pickens only recorded 63 receptions, averaging 3.7 receptions per game with a 59.4% catch percentage, according to Pro-Football Reference.

Pickens' fantasy value comes in his ability to stretch the field and has big boom-or-bust potential. He led the league in yards per reception (18.1) last year, finishing just ahead of another notable name that has been connected to the Steelers -- 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (17.9). All five of Pickens' touchdown receptions were 20 yards or longer, with four of them being 40-plus yards. Here are the two touchdowns Pickens caught against the Bengals in Week 16 which are great examples of that boom-or-bust potential.

In the first one, Pickens catches a 10-yard slant route, fights his way through multiple defenders and takes it 86 yards for a touchdown. 

Later in the same matchup, Pickens creates separation on the outside and Mason Rudolph drops a pass right into his hands for a 66-yard touchdown. 

Simply put, Pickens has a high-risk, high-reward type of value which gives him a slight edge over both Warren and Harris in PFF's PPR rankings. 

If Warren or Harris had the backfield all to themselves, they may have finished higher in these rankings as they both have the potential to produce a large number of fantasy points. But, splitting carries hampers their fantasy value. 

Warren earns a slight edge over Harris because of his receiving ability. He doubled up Harris in both receptions and receiving yards last year and despite finishing the season with 74 fewer total touches, he only finished with 51 fewer total yards. Harris undoubtedly led the ground game with 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns on 255 attempts, but in a PPR scoring format, a running back who can catch passes out of the backfield will always have the edge. That's evident in PFF's rankings as running backs such as San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey (No.1), Atlanta's Bijan Robinson (No. 7) and Breece Hall (No.10) from the Jets all earned top 10 rankings. 

I'm excited to see what offensive coordinator Arthur Smith churns up for Freiermuth this season as he could turn into a viable target for Wilson and Fields this season. A new-look offense could look to take advantage of Freiermuth's 6-foot-5, 258-pound frame as a big-bodied target in the red zone.

As training camp draws near, these rankings could change as players are added, or removed, from the roster, but Pickens should surely be seen as the No. 1 fantasy option when looking at the Steelers roster.