Fantasy Upside
Mike Gesicki was an interesting player coming out of college last season. He’s an athletic tight end who was drafted in the second round joining a team where there wasn’t a clear cut option at his position. He should take a step forward in 2019 on a team with not too many receiving threats.
Fantasy Downside
Gesicki had just 202 yards on 22 receptions last season. He played in 16 games and started seven, but never really got going as a receiving threat. He’s projected to be the starter in Miami this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to put up numbers.
2019 Bottom Line
Gesicki is a name to watch heading into the year, but not likely a player you’d want to draft. He’s a talented receiving threat, and could probably do some damage in a better offense. But there is a chance he catches fire with either Josh Rosen or Ryan Fitzpatrick this season and comes up as a sleeper. Still, though, he’s not much more than a late-round flier in deeper leagues.
Week 17 at Buffalo Bills
Miami goes to cold Buffalo with nothing to play for in Week 17 (except maybe its head coach). The Dolphins have a miserable implied team total of just 17.5 points as 4.5-point underdogs. With Ryan Tannehill posting fewer than 15 combined fantasy points over the past two weeks, no player involved in this passing game is worthy of starting consideration in Week 17 against a tough Bills secondary.
Week 15 at Minnesota Vikings
Miami may have pulled off a miracle last week, but heading on the road to Minnesota this week may require the second coming. The Dolphins have an implied team total of just 18.5 points and are touchdown underdogs. Plus, Miami hasn't had a consistent TE for fantasy all season. Nothing to see here.
Week 12 at Indianapolis Colts
The Dolphins went from 10-point underdogs to 7.5-point underdogs with the news that Ryan Tannehill would make his return, but Miami's implied team total of 21.75 points is still less than ideal. Plus, Mike Gesicki only has two targets in his last two games. He's not a streaming TE option.
Week 8 vs. New York Jets
Mike Gesicki has zero touchdowns and has not reached 50 yards in any game this season. He is not a factor for starting lineups in Week 9.
Week 6 vs. Chicago Bears
The Dolphins are 31st in the NFL in plays per game and face the Bears strong defense in Week 6 with an implied team total of less than 20 points. It's not as if any Dolphins pass catcher would be worth playing, even if this was a good match-up. It's impossible to project who will have a good game in a pass-catching core where nobody is averaging five targets per game. That includes Mike Gesicki, who hasn't reached 40 yards in any game this year.
Week 5 at Cincinnati Bengals
The Dolphins had the most predictable of blowout losses in Week 4, and Miami has a bottom-seven implied team total in Week 5 of just 21.25 points. Here's the problem for Mike Gesicki and the rest of the Dolphins pass catchers: this team only has 99 total targets on the season. No pass catcher is even averaging five targets per game. Gesicki's snap counts continue to increase, but until we see at least five targets per game from him, there's nothing to get excited about here.
Week 4 at Tennessee Titans
With the Patriots ranked only 19th in aFPA to TEs and an above-average total of 48.5 points, there are reasons to like Dolphins pass-catchers in Week 4. However, this continues to be a committee, as Ryan Tannehill is spreading the ball around. That means low-percentage splash plays or touchdowns are essential to prove valuable in starting lineups. The large target hole left by Jarvis Landry is not going to any one particular receiver. Through three weeks, five different Dolphins have double-digit targets, but Mike Gesicki is not one of those players. He's a name to monitor as his snaps continue to increase, but he is not a fantasy start this week.
Week 3 at Miami Dolphins
Mike Gesicki only has two targets through the first two weeks of the season. We need to see the rookie utilized before getting excited about his athletic ability. He's not worth rostering, let alone starting, at this point.
Week 2 at New York Jets
Gesicki is a rookie and a work in progress, evidenced by just one target in Week 1. Maybe later this season he can develop into a weapon for Ryan Tannehill, but that time is not now in Week 2. Avoid him and find a better TE streamer.
