Mike Gesicki Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

ESPN's Mike Reiss reports that Patriots HC Bill Belichick "made it sound like the team views [Mike] Gesicki more as a receiver than a traditional tight end, putting him in the category with receivers DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne instead of with tight end Hunter Henry." That came from Reiss talking with Belichick at the recent league meetings. It's not clear whether the coach actually put Gesicki "in the category" with the wideouts, or if that's just Reiss' language. But this is the second Patriots writer we've seen point to Belichick treating Gesicki as more WR than TE. It certainly makes sense. As we pointed out when he signed, Gesicki has had his most productive years when playing primarily in the slot and/or out wide. He fares poorly from a traditional inline TE position. The biggest takeaway for fantasy football players is that it seems we should expect Gesicki to compete more with New England WRs for targets than with Henry. We'll keep watching for further signals on the usage for Gesicki, Henry, and the rest of an offense that will operate under a new OC (Bill O'Brien).

The Patriots are signing TE Mike Gesicki to a one-year deal worth "up to" $9 million, according to multiple reports. Gesicki was a forgotten man in HC Mike McDaniels' Dolphins offense last year, mustering just 32 catches for 362 yards and 5 TDs on a 45% snap rate. He's still just 27, though, and topped 700 receiving yards in both 2020 and 2021. He finished both of those seasons as a top-9 TE in PPR points, while ranking 6th and then 13th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade. Gesicki joins Hunter Henry in New England's TE room, but the two have played different roles to date. Henry played a career-low 26.5% of his pass snaps inline (according to Pro Football Focus) and a career-high 61.6% in the slot in 2021, his first year with the Patriots. Last season, though, he spent exactly the same amount of time (43.3% of pass snaps) in each role -- with a career-low 10.3% out wide. Gesicki has spent just 19.5% of his career snaps inline -- the traditional TE spot -- 58.9% in the slot and 21.1% out wide. Considering the current state of the New England WR corps (JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne), there's room for both TEs to be relevant. We'll look for clues on how the targets will be divvied. For now, don't consider Gesicki more than a low-TE2 in fantasy football drafts. And there's no reason to downgrade Henry's fantasy outlook. He has already been going in mid-TE3 range of best ball drafts. His career-long penchant for end-zone targets makes him well worth mixing in at that level.

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa returned Sunday night for his 1st game action since the scary concussion at Cincinnati in Week 4. He completed 21 of 35 passes in the win over the Steelers for 261 yards and 1 TD. Tagovailoa took nary a sack, avoided turnovers and even ran for 15 yards on 4 rushes. WR Tyreek Hill led the offense with 13 targets and 7 catches (for 72 yards), while WR Jaylen Waddle paced the group with 88 yards (on 5 targets, 4 receptions). TE Mike Gesicki drew 7 targets for the 2nd straight game but managed just 3 catches for 27 yards. The whole group gets a high-ceiling matchup at Detroit in Week 8, with solid-to-good spots the next 2 weeks as well vs. Chicago and Cleveland.

Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki erupted for 6-69-2 against the Vikings in Week 6. He saw just a 14.8% target share, but he benefited from 47 team pass attempts while Miami played from behind. Gesicki’s usage was encouraging beyond the targets, as he earned a ~77% route rate. This was simply his best game of the season, but we’re not ready to elevate him into the TE1 mix after one productive outing. He’ll likely rank as a low-end TE2 for Sunday’s matchup with Pittsburgh. Look for Tua Tagovailoa to return for that one.

Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki managed 1 catch for 1 yard on 1 target in Sunday's win over New England. Everything reported and witnessed through camp and preseason pointed to alarming change in his role under new HC Mike McDaniel, and this game seemed like confirmation. Gesicki shouldn't be near fantasy football lineups until something changes. He even trailed TE Durham Smythe in targets (2) and yards (14).

Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki rotated with 2 teammates during 1st-team work in the preseason finale vs. Philadelphia. Durham Smythe led the position in snaps across the 1st 3 drives, while Gesicki led TEs in pass routes, according to Pro Football Focus. Cethan Carter also worked in for 2-TE sets, playing 7 such snaps to Gesicki's 5. For the preseason, PFF counted 24 "inline" snaps for Gesicki vs. 14 in the slot, 4 split wide and 1 at FB. That's 55.8% of his snaps inline, compared with the 85% he spent in the slot or out wide last season. The 1 thing that does seem clear with Gesicki is that we should expect his 2022 role to look a lot different than it has to this point -- which doesn't bode well for his receiving production. Gesicki has been a faller in our TE rankings.

Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reports a league source told him the Dolphins have "brought up" TE Mike Gesicki in trade talks with other teams. Such a move would make sense for Miami, with Gesicki set to play on the franchise tag and seemingly about to play out of position as an in-line TE. Gesicki has operated much more as a slot receiver thus far in his career and looks much better suited for that type of role. Given the reports this preseason on his deployment as a blocker, a trade would probably be good for Gesicki's 2022 fantasy outlook. We'll see if something materializes.

"It’s been a struggle to get [TE Mike Gesicki] involved in the new offense so far this summer," ESPN's Cameron Wolfe said Saturday. It was part of a tweet pointing out that Gesicki was the last Miami starter still playing late in the 2nd quarter of the 2nd preseason game. Basically an oversized WR listed as a TE, Gesicki always looked like an awkward fit in HC Mike McDaniel's offense, which requires the TE to block quite a bit (think George Kittle). Throw in the increased target competition with the arrival of WR Tyreek Hill, and it's tough to like Gesicki as a fantasy-draft target.

Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki admitted that HC Mike McDaniel’s offense has him blocking more than in past seasons. "Yeah, I mean, I don't think I took one snap from a receiver stance today," Gesicki said at training camp. "So it's definitely different. And but I mean, it is what it is. And I'm excited about it. I'm looking forward to another challenge and another opportunity.” Gesicki, 26, is likely to be an inconsistent fantasy asset this fall.

The Dolphins and TE Mike Gesicki let Friday's deadline pass without a longer-term extension. That means the franchise-tagged TE will play out 2022 on his 1-year tender. We're not changing our fantasy football outlook for Gesicki, barring a training-camp holdout. The biggest issue facing Gesicki in 2022 is the challenge of drawing target share with WR Tyreek Hill and WR Cedrick Wilson joining WR Jaylen Waddle in a crowded passing offense. Concerns on that front, however, have pushed his ADP below where he sits in our 2022 fantasy football rankings.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins have placed the franchise tag on TE Mike Gesicki. That keeps him from reaching the free-agent market. Gesicki finished 9th, 7th and 12th among TEs in PPR scoring the past 3 years and should be well set up for TE1-level production for at least the near future. We'll see whether he and Miami agree to a long-term deal ahead of the season. Gesicki is a solid value in early fantasy-football drafting, carrying a TE11 ADP on Underdog.

NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe considers Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki a “viable candidate” for the franchise tag. Gesicki, 26, just set career highs in catches (73) and yards (780). He’d surely garner plenty of interest on the open market. But the Dolphins — projected to have the most cap space league-wide — can easily retain Gesicki’s services. We’ll see if new HC Mike McDaniel considers Gesicki a fit for an offense that emphasizes blocking out of TEs/WRs.

Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle has been placed on the COVID list. He's a long shot to be cleared in time to play vs. the Jets on Sunday. His absence would leave WR DeVante Parker and TE Mike Gesicki as the clear top 2 options in Miami's passing game -- assuming they avoid the COVID list. QB Tua Tagovailoa's Week 15 fantasy stock takes a sizable hit without Waddle.

Dolphins WR Will Fuller (finger) won't play vs. the Ravens on Thursday night, HC Brian Flores said. There's no timetable for Fuller's return. With WR DeVante Parker on IR, WR Jaylen Waddle and TE Mike Gesicki will continue to dominate Dolphins targets.

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa (ribs, finger) will not start today's game vs. the Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Tua reportedly didn't feel good enough during pre-game warmups to start, but he will be active as QB Jacoby Brissett's backup. It's a missed opportunity in an excellent matchup. Brissett was decent in 3 starts earlier this season, averaging 230 yards and 1.3 TDs on a 67% completion rate but just 5.8 yards per attempt. He's only in play in 2-QB and Superflex leagues and is a slight downgrade for Miami's offense.

The Dolphins placed WR DeVante Parker on IR after he suffered a setback with his hamstring injury in practice this week, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. So he'll miss at least the next 3 games vs. the Texans, Ravens and Jets. We'll see if Parker is ready come Week 12, but he's certainly not a must-stash on fantasy rosters. WR Jaylen Waddle and TE Mike Gesicki both get target boosts with Parker out.

Dolphins WR DeVante Parker had a setback in practice this week and will be listed as doubtful for Sunday's game vs. the Texans, HC Brian Flores said. It's unclear if Parker's setback was to his shoulder or hamstring. He's seen nice volume when on the field this season but hasn't been able to stay healthy. Parker's absence on Sunday boosts the volume projections for WR Jaylen Waddle and TE Mike Gesicki.

Dolphins WR Preston Williams (groin) is inactive for today’s game vs. Jacksonville. With WRs DeVante Parker and Will Fuller also out, Miami is down to WRs Jaylen Waddle, Mack Hollins, Albert Wilson and Isaiah Ford. TE Mike Gesicki should continue to play a big role in the passing game.

Dolphins HC Brian Flores confirmed that QB Tua Tagovailoa (ribs) is on track to start Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars, barring a setback between now and then. We wouldn't trust Tagovailoa in starting lineups outside of 2-QB leagues, but he should be an upgrade over QB Jacoby Brissett for Miami's offense.