Week 7 vs. New England Patriots
Taylor Gabirel has been a nice surprise lately. He's had 100+ yards in back-to-back games, and has continued his streak of at least five targets each week. Earlier in the season he was more of a short-catch option, but lately he's been more of a deep threat. Either way, it's good for fantasy purposes.
Expect Gabriel to keep up his production this week against New England. His 100-yard streak may not continue, but he's still a valuable asset for Chicago. We like Gabriel as a low-end WR2 option in Week 7.
Week 6 at Miami Dolphins
Taylor Gabriel had a big game in Chicago's last outing, hauling in all seven of his targets for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He now has at least seven targets in three straight games as he's become a reliable short-range option outside of Allen Robinson.
Perhaps in a tough matchup against the Dolphins, Chicago could use a similar strategy as Week 4 when they went to a more short game. Gabriel can be viewed as a lower-end WR3 choice this week vs. the Dolphins.
Week 4 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Taylor Gabriel surprisingly led the team in targets (10) and receptions (6) last week, but only finished with 34 yards. He's actually not far off from Allen Robinson in terms of targets (22 to 28) and receptions (15 to 17) on the season, but he's struggling to get yards. The speedster is averaging just 5.9 yards per reception. And he has yet to score a touchdown this season.
He gets a favorable matchup this week against the Bucs, but Gabriel hasn't really shown much to be worthy of fantasy consideration. Until he can make more of his targets and catches, he's best to ignore for now.
Week 3 at Arizona Cardinals
So far this season, Taylor Gabriel has been the Bears' second WR threat. He's second on the team in targets and receptions and third in yards. He's also on the field more often (95 percent of snaps in Week 2) than rookie Anthony Miller (56 percent of snaps in Week 2).
But the production has been pretty minimal, so he's mostly off the fantasy radar for now.
Fantasy Upside
Taylor Gabriel has made some highlight plays in his small NFL career with the Browns and Falcons. As a speedster, Gabriel caught attention in 2016 with Atlanta, averaging 16.5 yards per catch and finishing the year with six receiving touchdowns and one rushing score. He comes to Chicago in 2018, where he’s been listed as a starter in the Bears offense under new coach Matt Nagy.
Fantasy Downside
While Gabriel has appeared on the fantasy radar a few times in his career, he’s never been able to maintain a role. He’s never had over 600 receiving yards in a single season, and most of his production has either been big play or bust, and it’s mostly been bust. Outside of 2016, he’s never had more than one score in a season.
2018 Bottom Line
Taylor Gabriel is interesting as a starter in what should be an improved offense, but he needs to prove his worth before you go drafting him.
Wild Card Round at Los Angeles Rams
Taylor Gabriel was not listed on the Falcons' final injury report for Saturday night's Wild Card matchup against the Rams. He injured his hamstring in the Falcons' Week 17 win over the Panthers but got in a limited practice session this week and apparently is ready to roll. After carving out a nice role for himself as a deep threat in Kyle Shanahan's offense last year, Gabriel has been lost in the shuffle this season after Steve Sarkisian took over as Atlanta's OC. Avoid Gabriel in your DFS and playoff leagues this weekend. The volume simply isn't there.
Week 6 vs. Miami Dolphins
Taylor Gabriel was held without a catch in the Falcons' Week 4 loss to the Bills. The fact he didn't get on the stat sheet was rather surprising considering both Julio Jones (hip flexor) and Mohamed Sanu (hamstring) left the game in the second and third quarters, respectively. Still, with Sanu expected to miss Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Gabriel is a sneaky flex play. With Miami forced to pay extra attention to Jones, Gabriel could get loose in the Dolphins shaky secondary. Ranked as our WR26 for Week 6, view Gabriel as a legitimate WR3/FLEX play for Sunday.
Week 4 vs. Buffalo Bills
Taylor Gabriel caught 5-of-6 targets for 79 yards and 1 touchdown in the Falcons' Week 3 win over the Lions. His touchdown came on a screen pass that he took 40 yards to the house in the second half. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, big days like the one he had last Sunday are difficult to project. Ranked as our WR51 for Week 4, avoid Gabriel for Atlanta's matchup with Buffalo this weekend.
Fantasy Upside
After finishing as fantasy's WR122 in 2015, Taylor Gabriel jumped to fantasy's WR48 after joining Atlanta's explosive offense. He emerged as a big play threat, catching 35-of-50 targets for 579 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games last season. Atlanta extended a second-round tender to Gabriel this offseason in efforts to retain the speedster. Despite Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu locked in as the starters, Gabriel will once again be a key cog in the team's dangerous passing game.
Fantasy Downside
Gabriel didn't catch more than five passes in a single game last year and only topped 80 yards once. Gabriel is fighting for touches with Jones, Sanu, Austin Hooper, Devonta Freeman, and Tevin Coleman. He's a key piece to Atlanta's offense, but that doesn't mean he's a great fantasy option. Gabriel will also be limited for the start of training camp due to a calf injury. He should be fine for the regular season but lower-leg injuries aren't good for speed receivers.
2017 Bottom Line
Assuming everyone is healthy in Atlanta's offense, Gabriel will be a boom-or-bust WR4 for 2017. Ranked as our WR66 this preseason, Gabriel is a late-round flier in 12-team leagues and is being left off many 10-team leagues. He's a solid waiver wire edition when injuries inevitably pop-up during the season, but Gabriel should not be viewed as a weekly starter.
Super Bowl vs. New England
Taylor Gabriel caught two-of-three targets for 24 yards in the Falcons' victory over the Packers in the NFC Championship Game. It wasn't Gabriel's best performance, as he dropped a pass when he was wide open on Atlanta's first possession, then put the ball on the ground on a botched end-around later in the game. That said, Gabriel has plenty of deep-threat potential in this offense, and Ryan is sure to take a shot or two deep this Sunday against the Patriots. Thus, Gabriel could be an intriguing dart throw if you're looking for a WR to fill out your DFS team. He ranks as our WR5 for Super Bowl 51.
