CeeDee Lamb was an interesting fantasy football discussion point throughout last season, especially with George Pickens joining the team and looking great. Who is the alpha of this passing game? Can both produce at a high level, or is it a “take turns” sort of thing?
It was the Pickens show in 2025, but that hasn’t stopped managers from showing confidence that this offense can operate like the Bengals’ and make everyone happy. It’s up to us to determine if Lamb will reestablish himself as the true WR1, or if this is a co-star situation where some down weeks are to be expected when the other party thrives.
Should You Draft CeeDee Lamb In Fantasy Football?
Lamb came out of the gates with a pair of 110-yard performances last season (a cumulative 16 catches on 24 targets for 222 yards), proving that he was still to be viewed as “the guy” in Big D: even with Pickens joining the mix. In those contests, the Cowboys totaled 60 points, and the incumbent WR1 had more catches than the newcomer had targets.
That disparity didn’t last.
Lamb did get banged up in Week 3, which needs to be noted, but it was clear that as the Dak Prescott–Pickens connection gained reps, the role of “primary target” was no longer a given for Lamb.
The upside remained, however. In the second half of the season, he ripped off three straight 110+ yard games, and that was with Pickens on a run of his own (18 catches for 290 yards and two touchdowns in the two games prior to Lamb’s spurt).
And therein lies the problem.
Of the 13 healthy games they played together, Lamb led Pickens in PPR points seven times. The week over week swings have the potential to be dramatic. When looking at the percentage of total points Lamb scored between the duo, here is the 2025 recap by game (starting with their first healthy game together):
In total, his numbers were fine, and that’s very likely to be the case moving forward. But can you rely on him enough week in and week out to justify making him a first-round selection?
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It ultimately depends on your willingness to take on risk. Lamb’s year-end numbers could very well land where you expect them to, but if he gets there the same way he did last season (through drastic peaks and valleys), you’re going to be left wanting more.
The red flags from 2025 were real. We could write off the career-low touchdown total as variance, but digging into his profile reveals a deeper issue.
His 25% red-zone target rate was down from 29.2% over the two seasons prior. Extend the range on the field, and you’ll notice a similar trend (a 25.9% target rate in enemy territory, down from 30.1% in 2024). And the targets he has earned on the plus side of the field? Those have been dipping in value for a while now, and we have no real reason to think that changes in 2026.
Lamb remains a high-end talent, but fantasy is as much a game of situation as anything else. After extensively researching this profile, I fear we may be setting ourselves up for disappointment relative to his draft cost.
Lamb’s Dynasty Fantasy Football Value
His streak of five straight 1,000-yard seasons is one I’d bet on continuing this year, and the fact that he’s produced 10.1% over expectation across an extended sample size speaks to his raw ability.
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I don’t think you’re destined to fail if you spend your first pick on Lamb in 2026 (and beyond), but I do think there is a clearer path to him underachieving rather than overachieving.
Add in the fact that Prescott is entering his age-33 season, and Pickens is the younger of the two primary target earners, and this might be the right time to get out of the Lamb business in all formats.
With high-end players like this, I prefer operating with aggression … it’s better to be a year early than a year late when moving on.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.