The Pittsburgh Steelers have a slew of question marks at the wide receiver position going into the 2024 NFL season, which leaves third-year wideout George Pickens as the top dog in the room.
After parting ways with wide receiver Diontae Johnson via trade with the Carolina Panthers, Pickens is now flanked by guys like Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Quez Watkins and rookie Roman Wilson, all of whom aren't sure things.
Pickens is coming off a 2023 season in which he posted career-bests in receptions (63), receiving yards (1,140) and touchdowns (five), ranking as WR29 overall in PPR, according to Fantasy Pros.
His sophomore season was made more impressive by the fact that the Steelers had a mess under center. If he had a better situation, Pickens could've really exploded.
But there's reason to believe Pickens can build on that solid showing in 2024, although there are concerns, also.
George Pickens fantasy football outlook
Ceiling: Low-end WR1
Floor: Low-end WR2
While having a bunch of question marks around him can certainly be considered a good thing because it establishes Pickens as the No. 1 option, that can also work against him, as defenses will be able to key in on Pickens if the other receivers don't produce.
As far as the quarterback situation is concerned, the Steelers are going from Kenny Pickett to either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, with the former expected to get the nod as the starter to begin the season.
Granted, neither Wilson nor Fields lit the world on fire in 2023, but they should provide an upgrade over Pickett, who was downright awful. A lot of that will depend on the offensive line, where the Steelers have tried to improve after selecting center Zach Frazier and tackle Troy Fautanu in the 2024 draft.
After an 1,100-yard season in 2023 with a disastrous situation under center, it's very possible Pickens creeps into WR1 territory in 2024 if the quarterback play is better and he can catch a higher percentage of targets. But we feel much more comfortable placing him in the WR2 range for now.