Week 8 at Philadelphia Eagles
Michael Gallup has struggled for fantasy relevance all season and it will be more difficult to start him than ever with the Cowboys recent offensive struggles and the possibility of Ben DiNucci making his first NFL start this week. Gallup continues to run deep routes on the outside that take time to develop, time Dallas quarterbacks do not have with the offensive line struggling. Gallup has talent and always carries the potential for some long catches, but he is not a recommended starter for Week 8 facing off against the Eagles.
Week 7 at Washington Football Team
Michael Gallup's role as Dallas's deep threat was volatile for fantasy purposes with Dak Prescott under center. Now Gallup has to deal with Andy Dalton's general inability to push the ball downfield for the remainder of the season while still competing with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott and Dalton Schultz for targets. That is not a recipe for fantasy success. Gallup has still shown his talent and big-play ability in spurts this season, but it is just so hard to predict when those explosive games will come and the lack of shorter targets means Gallup will be a boom or bust play most weeks. Gallup saw six targets from Dalton in Week 6, placing him behind Cooper, Lamb, and Elliott, and it hard to project him for much more than that any given week unless Dallas suffers an injury on offense. Gallup is an extremely risky WR3 in fantasy and should be on the bench if you have better options.
Week 6 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Michael Gallup's season is off to a disappointing start for fantasy, but perhaps the variance that comes with a new starting quarterback is what he needs to become a more consistent fantasy asset. It was an extremely limited sample, but Gallup connected with Andy Dalton on two deep passes with Dallas mounting a late comeback after Dak Prescott's injury. With Prescott under center, Gallup was limited to primarily running deep go routes along the sideline. This type of usage does not translate to consistent fantasy production, but it remains to be seen if this will continue to be Gallup's entire role with Dalton at quarterback. Gallup's deep-ball proficiency keeps him in the flex discussion with Dalton under center, but the roles of the Dallas pass catchers will be an interesting Week 6 storyline to monitor.
Week 5 vs. New York Giants
Michael Gallup is quickly evolving into a total boom or bust fantasy play. The arrival of CeeDee Lamb has relegated Gallup to a one-trick deep threat role, making him volatile in fantasy on a weekly basis. Gallup boomed in Week 3 against the Seahawks, but Week 4 was another bust with him only catching two of five targets for 29 yards. What is troubling for Gallup is that Dallas is throwing for a ton of volume to compensate for their atrocious defense and he still cannot get consistent usage. He's only exceeded five targets in one game this season, and it was the one game where he turned in a big day. Projecting similar performances in future games will be exceedingly difficult given how crowded the target tree is from Dak Prescott. Barring an injury somewhere in the Dallas offense, Gallup is no better than a boom-bust flex play on a weekly basis.
Week 4 vs. Cleveland Browns
Michael Gallup got off to a slow start to this season but exploded for 138 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against the Seahawks as Dak Prescott was finally able to find him for a couple deep balls. Gallup has taken on the role of Dallas' deep threat this season, with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb operating closer to the line of scrimmage. This role is prone to inconsistency for fantasy but is also conducive to spiked weeks where Gallup will put up week-winning numbers. It will be hard to predict when exactly those weeks are coming, but a Week 4 matchup with Cleveland is not one to be scared of as the Browns struggle to consistently generate pressure and their best cornerback, Denzel Ward, is currently limited by an injury. Gallup continues to be a high-upside flex play for fantasy purposes.
Week 3 at Seattle Seahawks
The start of Michael Gallup's season has to be somewhat concerning for those that drafted him as a WR2. He already appears to be behind CeeDee Lamb in the target pecking order, and has only managed five catches for 158 yards in two games. The good news is Gallup is still averaging a robust 21.6 yards per reception, meaning the targets he does get are downfield in a deep-threat type role. The opportunity for a breakout game for Gallup is there this week facing off against a Seahawks secondary that has been abused by opposing wide receivers through two weeks. Gallup will matchup primarily with Quinton Dunbar, who was excellent in coverage last season but has not looked as sharp this year. The soft matchup makes Gallup startable as a flex in fantasy, but his low volume will continue to be a concern until we see a change in how Dak Prescott is distributing his targets.
Week 2 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Michael Gallup was the third man on the totem pole for targets among Cowboys wideouts in Week 1, only getting five looks compared to six for CeeDee Lamb and 14 for Amari Cooper. Gallup still managed to turn those three catches into 50 yards and had a long reception called back on a questionable offensive pass interference call late in the game. There should be ample opportunity for all of the Dallas pass catchers in Week 2. The Cowboys get a burnable Falcons secondary this week, and TE Blake Jarwin's injury should open up some additional targets for Gallup and Lamb. Gallup is startable as a flex play this week and has upside for much more.
Week 1 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Michael Gallup will begin his third season taking on the Rams and their solid pass defense in Week 1's Sunday night game. Gallup faces the prospect of having to line up opposite shutdown CB Jalen Ramsey for at least some of his snaps on Sunday night. Ramsey will be an obstacle to all of the Dallas receivers, but with so many options at the position the Cowboys will be able to rotate formations and keep Gallup from being stuck on an island all game long. Gallup is looking to build of the strides he made last season and can be started as a WR2 in a game with shootout potential.
Fantasy Upside
Michael Gallup showed flashes of his talent as a rookie, but his sophomore season is where he really took off. Working as Amari Cooper’s sidekick on the outside, Gallup racked up 112 targets, 66 receptions and six touchdowns while missing two games due to meniscus surgery. Gallup’s efficiency metrics suggest he still has room to grow. Gallup finished 2019 10th in yards per reception, 12th in yards per target, and 15th in yards per route run. The Cowboys are returning the vast majority of their offense that finished as one of the most efficient in the entire league last season. Gallup’s continued development coincides with Prescott’s ascendance to one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL, meaning he should have a solid floor working alongside Cooper and new teammate Ceedee Lamb. If Cooper were to go down injured, Gallup would immediately become a WR1 and his upside would be massive.
Fantasy Downside
Gallup is already slated to be Prescott’s second option behind Cooper, and he now has to welcome a talented new teammate into the fold in Lamb. Gallup’s 21.7% target share from 2019 is in danger in the crowded Dallas offense. A reduction in volume does not remove Gallup from the WR2 conversation, but it would mean he will need to maintain his efficiency to produce similar fantasy numbers as last year. While the Cowboys’ offense shows few signs of slowing down, the players will have to adapt to new Head Coach Mike McCarthy and there is no guarantee they will repeat their output from last season.
2020 Bottom Line
Gallup is an exciting young player who showed flashes of talent as a rookie, blossomed into a solid outside receiving option in his second season and now enters his third year primed to play a key role in one of the league’s best offenses. Gallup is currently being drafted as a WR3 and he is likely to beat that draft spot if he stays healthy all year.
Week 17 vs Washington
Michael Gallup had a strong game last Sunday with five receptions for 98 yards. His overall numbers have been good with over 1,000 receiving yards. However, he does only have three touchdown catches this season.
Gallup will face the Redskins who are 7th in aFPA to wide receivers. In the first meeting this season, Gallup had six catches for 68 yards. He should be around those numbers again.
Start Gallup as a low-end WR2 for Week 17 as Dallas will be all in to try to sneak into the playoffs.
