George Pickens is a Cowboy 🤠

The 2025 Upper Hand Fantasy Rookie Draft Kit has been updated!

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• Cowboys trade for former Steelers WR George Pickens in deal that sends 3rd and 5th round picks in 2026 and 2027, respectively, to Pittsburgh

  • After passing on the top talent at wide receiver both in free agency and in last month’s draft, the Cowboys finally make a splash to get Ceedee Lamb a running mate and Dak Prescott a capable WR2. For Pickens, this is a relatively lateral move – he’s still a boom-bust WR2 candidate with Ceedee Lamb set to earn ≥25% target share, but going from having no QB in Pittsburgh to a proven one in Dak Prescott constitutes an upgrade that could give him a bit safer of a floor than he’s had in recent seasons. Lamb’s status as a fantasy WR1 remains intact despite the addition, as Pickens is set to fill the role in Dallas’ offense that’s been vacant for years since Michael Gallup left: the vertical threat. Dak Prescott gets a slight boost, but he should still only be considered in 2QB leagues. Meanwhile for the Steelers, D.K. Metcalf is now the unquestioned WR1 in their offense that currently doesn’t have a promising name at quarterback. He should be peppered with targets by default with Pickens out of the way, but Metcalf’s upside and his potential to achieve it could very well be determined by who’s under center come Week 1.

• Texans WR Tank Dell will ‘likely miss the 2025 season’, set to be placed on the PUP list, per the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Alexander

  • After a 2024 season that saw the Texans’ WR room marred by injuries to Dell, Nico Collins, and Stefon Diggs, Houston went out and allocated plenty of resources towards replenishing the arsenal for C.J. Stroud as he prepares to enter year three. With the departure of Stefon Diggs for New England, the Texans were already looking paper thin at receiver coming into the draft. However, the additions of both Iowa State WRs Jayden Higgins and Jaylen Noel should provide much needed relief, as will the acquisition of former Jaguars WR Christian Kirk. All of these additions to the receiving room make even more sense in retrospect as this report regarding Dell emerges – the Texans are expecting to be without Dell for the entire 2025 season, opening the door for Higgins and Noel to step in and contribute right away. Dell has dealt with significant injuries in both of his two years as a pro since being drafted in 2023 alongside Stroud, with the most recent major injury requiring multiple surgeries and casting significant doubt on both his short and long-term prospects in fantasy football. Still just 25 years old, Dell should be able to return to form by the time he’s back on the field again in 2026 – however, the ice he’s treading has the potential to get thin if Higgins and Noel would both prove themselves to be capable replacements.

• Bills sign FA WR Elijah Moore to one-year deal, who says QB Josh Allen will put him in the ‘best position’ of his career

  • Hard to argue against that statement from Moore, especially considering the fact that his first two teams that he’s played for have been nothing short of 21st century poverty. As a result of playing with a revolving door of quarterbacks including - but not limited to - names like pre-Kevin O’Connel Sam Darnold, Tim Boyle, and Zach Wilson, Moore has had a very forgettable first four years of his career. However, he now gets a supreme upgrade in his quarterback situation, moving from the aforementioned laundry list of backups to the reigning NFL MVP in Josh Allen. Despite investing significant resources into the WR position over the past year (including drafting WR Keon Coleman 33rd overall in 2024 and trading for WR Amari Cooper - now released), the Bills haven’t gotten much out of the position besides Khalil Shakir, their dependable slot receiver who they just signed to a team-friendly extension. Moore was a second-round pick himself back in 2021 and should have plenty of chances to find a role within the Bills offense in 2025, especially since there isn’t yet a proven elite target earner in Buffalo. The hope was that Coleman or TE Dalton Kincaid could assume that role, but seeing as both have disappointed so far, the door is open for Moore to have a fighting chance at fantasy relevance when it comes to flex consideration.

• Falcons OC Zac Robinson says that he’s expecting TE Kyle Pitts to ‘take a big jump’ during the 2025 season

  • Will Kyle Pitts actually come through in Year 5 and finally start shooting rainbows all over the place like the unicorn he was tabbed to be coming into the NFL? At the end of the day, only time will tell, but this sounds like some pretty unhealthy self-gaslighting that the Falcons and their coaching staff are engaging in ahead of 2025. Since ripping off over 1000 yards in his inaugural season in the league, Pitts has dealt with injuries and generally fell short of every expectation laid out in front of him since being selected 4th overall four years ago. Of course, the quarterback situation has hardly been stable in Atlanta since the best days of Matt Ryan’s career were over (which weren’t in this decade), so Pitts does deserve some slack here. Perhaps that’s the string that Robinson is holding onto, but Atlanta did, after all, pick up his fifth-year option and seem keen to continue giving Pitts chances on the field. Michael Penix is as promising a talent at QB Atlanta has had since Kirk Cousins (🤣), and the Falcons neglected to add any big name playmakers on offense during last month’s draft. He’ll have to wrangle back the title of the No. 2 target in the offense from Darnell Mooney, but the runway is far from too crowded for Pitts to re-enter the discussion as a fantasy-relevant starter at TE.

TreVeyon Henderson to NE

• Entering a backfield with Rhamondre Stevenson likely means that Henderson won’t be getting anything close to a workhorse role, but in a 1A 1B setup, Henderson would be the RB to draft for upside in 2025 and beyond. Mike Vrabel’s new coaching staff giving Henderson valuable 2nd-round draft capital not only puts Rhamondre Stevenson on instant alert this season, but lays the groundwork for Henderson to potentially be the guy for the Patriots down the road. RB1 seasons are in his range of outcomes long-term.

Kaleb Johnson to PIT

• Johnson didn’t get the Round 2 draft capital we would have hoped, but he entered the Steelers offense with a well-defined role to play and his work cut out for him in Arthur Smith’s run scheme. With limited pass-catching ability himself and Jaylen Warren around to shoulder that work, Johnson looks primed to play the Najee Harris early-down role® in 2025 with the potential to step into more diversified opportunity down the line if Pittsburgh would part ways with Warren following this upcoming season.

Jaylin Noel to HOU

• Noel followed Jayden Higgins to Houston, but it won’t be Higgins that Noel is competing with to get on the field this September – that will be Christian Kirk, who was the presumptive slot receiver for Houston ahead of the draft. Noel’s round 3 draft capital and underrated talent gives him a fighting chance to unseat Kirk, and if he does, he could step in a role not too different from the one that made Stefon Diggs a comfortable WR2 last season. The return of Tank Dell complicates his long-term outlook, but he could be surprisingly productive in Year 1.

Xavier Restrepo to TEN

• Restrepo was one of the receivers we were excited to watch heading into the beginning of the offseason at the Senior Bowl, but after an unremarkable week there and some below average athletic testing at the combine, he wound up going undrafted. He does land in Tennessee with his college QB Cam Ward, but he faces an uphill battle against years of trends and data to be worth consideration in fantasy football, regardless of format. Tennessee is thin at receiver, so if he were going to find a crack anywhere, it would be with the Titans – but it’s best not to hold your breath on him.