Mike Gesicki has always been a talented player, but unfortunately, he’s endured a run of coaches who simply didn’t know how to utilize his skill set. When he was initially drafted by the Dolphins with the No. 42 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, I was a member of the Dolphins beat. Following the selection, fans and media members scrutinized the pick as he was viewed by many as a finesse player due to his deficiencies as a blocker.
General manager Chris Grier addressed those concerns head-on and stated that Gesicki was to be viewed as a big wide receiver, especially early in his career while he developed his NFL body. Grier’s vision for Gesicki was clear, but everyone else in the building seemed to have had trouble with how to properly utilize his skill set. Standing 6-foot-6, Gesicki is 249 pounds and has big-play speed for the tight end position. Unlike the Dolphins and the Patriots, the Bengals coaching staff is consistently lining him up where he belongs: outside the numbers or in condensed splits in the slot to generate mismatches.
Since he’s too strong for most corners and too fast for most linebackers, conventional wisdom would suggest that a safety could neutralize him, but his height and ability to play above the rim make him a mismatch for most safeties as well.
Gesicki’s recent play is certainly encouraging but Jamey Eisenberg openly doubts that his current production is sustainable.
“I was very excited about him coming into the week if Tee Higgins wasn’t going to play. And my gosh… stay away Tee Higgins; this was fun. Obviously, when Tee Higgins is back, he’s not going to do that. But if you do need a tight end for next week and Tee Higgins stays out again, clearly, Mike Gesicki is now three or four games where he’s been absolutely awesome.”
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Gesicki posted five receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9 against the Raiders, which was good for 27 Fantasy points. His two touchdowns this week represent his first touchdowns as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, and it appears as though Cincinnati is barely scratching the surface when it comes to integrating him into their offense. The slot fade, especially in goal-line situations, is going to be a major weapon as the season goes along, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him continue to build a rapport with Joe Burrow.
In Heath Cummings’ Risers and Fallers story, he provides ample reason for why Mike Gesicki should be viewed as a must-start, especially with Tee Higgins out of the lineup.
“Gesicki now has 26 targets in four games without Higgins, and he has scored at least 14 PPR points in three of those games,” Heath writes. “Gesicki will rank as a must-start tight end if the Bengals don’t have Higgins in Week 10. On the flip side, he hasn’t broken double digits in five games with Higgins.”
While Gesicki doesn’t have a history of putting up numbers with Higgins in the lineup, sometimes all it takes is finding out what a player can do when asked to step up in a player’s absence. Now that Zac Taylor has seen what Gesicki is capable of in a more prominent role, it’s going to be more difficult to put the toothpaste back in the tube, and Higgins’ presence should not stop him from posting anywhere from 12-15 Fantasy points per game for the remainder of the season.
Gesicki is currently rostered in just 24% of all leagues and is projected to reach just 7.40 Fantasy points against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10. Given how porous the Ravens secondary has been, don’t be surprised to see him outperform his projected points total this week and beyond.
For more Fantasy insight, be sure to check out the entire Week 9 Fantasy recap – or watch (and subscribe) on Youtube.