Pickens Inactive as Cowboys Visit Colts

George Pickens played through a sore hamstring last week. This time Dallas is not risking it. The Cowboys ruled their receiver inactive for Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, NFL.com’s Week 9 inactives list showed. It is the first game Pickens has missed this season.

The timing is rough for a 3-5 team trying to bounce back from another loss. Pickens was limited in practice all week and went into the weekend listed as questionable, with Brian Schottenheimer saying Friday the team was hopeful he could go.

What Dallas Loses

Pickens has 39 catches for 533 yards and two touchdowns on 62 targets this season, per SI. He has played second fiddle to CeeDee Lamb, who has 60 catches, 709 yards and six scores on 92 targets, but he is still the clear No. 2 option in this passing game. He has also dealt with a shoulder issue on top of the hamstring this season, so the hamstring finally cost him a Sunday after he gutted through it a week ago.

KaVontae Turpin is also out, which thins the room even more. Dallas will dress Lamb, Ryan Flournoy, Jonathan Mingo, Camden Brown and Jordan Hudson at receiver, Pro Football Talk reported.

Flournoy Gets the Bigger Role

Flournoy is the name to watch. He steps into a featured role against a Colts defense that funnels targets to the middle of the field, according to NBC Sports, and he leads the Cowboys in slot rate through the first half of the season. That inside lane is exactly where he lives, and with Pickens and Turpin both down, he should see more snaps and more chances than usual.

There is good news at tight end. Jake Ferguson is active after he did not practice until a limited session on Friday, so Dak Prescott keeps one of his most trusted short-area targets.

The Rest of the Inactives

Dallas is also without cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (ankle), linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring, back), tight end Luke Schoonmaker (groin), linebacker Tyrus Wheat and offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius. Porter’s absence is the second game he has missed since coming over from Pittsburgh in an early-season trade, and Overshown had only just returned after missing five games.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on CeeDee Lamb receptions against the Colts. He already leads Dallas with 92 targets and averages 7.5 catches a game, and Pickens and Turpin both being out funnels even more of the passing game his way. For a second play, Ryan Flournoy is the receiver stepping into the featured inside role NBC Sports flagged against this Colts defense.