Gesicki gets the tag

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.

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 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.