With Pickens out, it’s going to be difficult to trust Russell Wilson as a streamer this week after two straight performances under 160 passing yards sans-Pickens. TE Pat Freiermuth gets a slight bump once again and will hang around the low-TE1 rankings, and fantasy managers shouldn’t count on any of the other Pittsburgh pass catchers in lineups to replace Pickens.
In addition to the star receiver being out, fantasy managers will be without the services of RB Alvin Kamara for the first time this season. Kamara suffered a groin injury making a one-handed touchdown catch against the Commanders last week, and after missing practice this week and undergoing further testing, he’s officially been ruled out for Monday night against the Packers. It’s not surprising given that the Saints season is effectively lost and clears the way for Kendre Miller to step into a full-time role for the first time this year. He’ll be a solid RB2 start and should be in line for plenty of volume given how racked with attrition the Saints’ offense is at this point in the year. There is the threat of Miller being scripted out of this game considering how injured the Saints are going into Lambeau, but Miller has looked good on his work this season and appears to genuinely have a clean slate with interim HC Darren Rizzi. The Saints offense also took a noticeable step forward with Spencer Rattler under center last week, and he’s set to start in Week 16, as well.