TE Mike Gesicki | Miami Dolphins | 3rd Year
2019 Stats: 51 receptions for 570 yards, 5 TD
Mike Gesicki entered the NFL as a rare athlete based on workout metrics, and in 2019 it translated to some production. He finished as a top-12 fantasy tight end in standard and full PPR fantasy scoring. All five of his touchdowns came in the final six games, and he was TE4 in standard scoring and TE6 in full PPR from Week 12-17.
The Dolphins’ wide receiver group has been thinned by the opt-outs of Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns. The accounted for 54 percent of Miami’s slot routes last year, and they’re leaving behind 109 combined targets from 2019.
Gesicki was productive out of the slot last year. He led all tight ends in slot routes (131 more than any other tight end, according Pro Football Network). His overall route participation, 71.6 percent, was seventh among tight ends.
Gesicki’s 910 air yards last year was fourth-most among tight ends, after Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz and Mark Andrews.
Highest target rate 20+ yards downfield (TEs) in 2019:
🔸Dawson Knox – 20%
🔸O.J. Howard – 19%
🔸Mike Gesicki – 19%
🔸Mark Andrews – 19% pic.twitter.com/fhfzw7CtGZ
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) August 16, 2020
Gesicki’s primary remaining competition for slot snaps is not formidable (Chester Rogers, Isaiah Ford, Gary Jennings, Jakeem Grant). New Dolphins’ offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has a history of under-utilizing tight ends, but Gesicki’s lack of blocking makes him more like a wide receiver anyway.
The next level for Gesicki is finishing as a top-10 tight end. The stars are aligned for it, and his ADP (TE15 in full PPR, TE17 in standard scoring) is a value proposition. All that may hold Gesicki back is the prospect of an in-season quarterback switch, and then having to start at relative square one with Tua Tagovailoa.
2020 Projection: 63 receptions for 706 yards, 6 TD
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