Winners and Losers from The Cowboys-Steelers Trade
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims, we deep dive into the Cowboys and Steelers trade, examine second-year QBs, and more.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims:
The Dallas Cowboys, who accidentally slept through the 2025 NFL Draft, have finally awoken from their slumber.
Yesterday, Jerry and co. excused their absence with a very intriguing move to beef up their offense.
They traded a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder in exchange for Steelers WR George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Who are the winners?
* Dak Prescott - Like we discussed with Caleb Williams yesterday, the QB is the biggest winner here. Pickens is a massive upgrade at WR2 compared to the revolving door of subpar options Dak’s endured the past couple of years. Considering the lack of talent at RB, this should be wheel's up for the passing game.
* Pickens - Pickens was already going to face a target squeeze with DK Metcalf in Pittsburgh, so playing opposite CeeDee Lamb is mostly a wash. What isn't a wash, however, is the upgrade in both QB play and overall offensive environment that he’ll enjoy.
* Metcalf - He's now the undisputed WR1 for the Steelers and should command a massive target share.
Who are the losers?
* Jalen Tolbert/Kavonte Turpin - It was fun while it lasted (jk, it was not fun).
* Whoever is QB'ing the Steelers - There's no way Aaron Rodgers still wants to go here at this point, right? This QB depth chart is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. Pray for these individuals:
* People who wanted to watch a hilariously dysfunctional relationship between Rodgers and Pickens - Man, this would have been so, so good.
Read on to see how Ian Hartitz is adjusting his fantasy football rankings after the trade.
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How The Pickens Trade Affects Fantasy Rankings
News broke early Tuesday morning that the Pittsburgh Steelers are ending the George Pickens experience and shipping him off to Dallas.
There may not be a happier camper than Pickens, who goes from some combination of Mason Rudolph and (likely) Aaron Rodgers to a team with a legitimate superstar WR opposite of him and a quarterback who finished second in MVP voting in 2023.
Vibes are high in the Big D, but should fantasy managers be equally as excited as Cowboys fans? Ian updated his rankings below:
Upgrades across the board, but context is needed. What does this truly mean for the fantasy friendliness of the above stars, and who else is affected? ⬇️
Sophomore Slumps Incoming?
The Year 1 to Year 2 falloff of 2023 OROY C.J. Stroud will be talked about for years in the fantasy football streets. From QB10 in points per game as a rookie (18.7) to QB28 (13.7—yes, you read that right, QB28), Stroud just caused more trust issues with fantasy managers than trying to decipher Sean Payton’s usage of Marvin Mims.
It begs the question—could this happen again?
We had a stacked QB class in 2024, but could one of Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, or even Drake Maye give us a repeat of Stroud’s sophomore season?
Kendall Valenzuela dives in. ⬇️
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YEAR 2 QBs
Around the Watercooler
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.
👀 Another WR for Heisman? This phenom could defy the odds …
🚗 Matthew reacts to Pickens trade. From the side of the street, no less.
📈 We ranked all RBs drafted since 2023. For dynasty and redraft.
🦅 Dallas Goedert isn’t getting traded. Here’s the news.
🚀 The NFL is built different. Malik Nabers explains.
📈 Dynasty QB rankings … who’s rising from the last three draft classes?
📝 Time for the AFC edition of Thor’s UDFA rankings.
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