Is George Pickens playing tonight? Steelers wide receiver has a quiet first quarter

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a change at the quarterback position in Week 7, with the team moving from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson, which many believed would be a benefit to wide receiver George Pickens.

Finally, Pickens struggled with consistency in the six games Fields started. He had just one 100-yard game and four contests of 57 yards or less during that span. And he didn't score a single touchdown either.

However, Pickens, who benefited from Wilson's entry into the starting lineup, did not play in the first quarter of the Week 7 game against the New York Jets. Let's take a look at what's going on.

Is George Pickens playing tonight?

In nearly 15 minutes of play Sunday night, Pickens didn't have a single catch and just one target against the Jets. There could be several reasons why this is the case, but fortunately one of those reasons is not Pickens' injury.

For starters, Wilson and Pickens didn't get many reps together after the former missed a ton of practice time during training camp, the preseason and the regular season.

Plus, Wilson likely needs to shake off the rust after not playing a single NFL snap since last season, aside from the one drive he had in the preseason. Additionally, Pickens will likely be mentored by one of the league's best cornerbacks, Jets star Sauce Gardner.

For Steelers fans and those who rely on Pickens for fantasy football, Pickens is off to the worst possible start, but that's not entirely shocking. The more Pickens and Wilson play together the better it should get, it will just take time.