Mike

Gesicki

Gesicki immediately faded into irrelevance with the return of Tee Higgins following a three-game absence for the veteran wide receiver, failing to catch either of his two targets while seeing his snap rate plummet. It appears the mid-season surge in volume and production was just a flash in the pan, with fantasy managers clear to release him back to the waiver wire void.

4/30 wouldn’t be a bad Gesicki statline were Tee Higgins in the game, but it was his worst box score with the Bengals’ No. 2 wideout on the shelf. That’s due in large part to Ja’Marr Chase taking control of the Bengals’ passing attack and going thermonuclear for 11/264/3. Gesicki almost had a touchdown on the Bengals’ opening drive, but got wrestled down at the Ravens’ two-yard line. Gesicki’s Week 11 status seems as simple as: Start him if Higgins sits, bench him if Higgins plays. The Bengals will be in L.A. to take on the Chargers.

Higgins did not practice this week and is set to miss Cincinnati’s second matchup with the Ravens. It will be his third game sidelined because of the quad injury. Mike Gesicki has operated as the Bengals’ de facto No. 2 receiver in his absence. The veteran tight end caught five passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns last week. He will remain in the TE1 ranks for a potential shootout with Baltimore. Andrei Iosivas is running plenty of routes sans Higgins but is nothing more than a touchdown-or-bust WR5.

Gesicki was once again a big beneficiary of Tee Higgins’ absence in Week 9. He was second on the team in targets, tied for second in catches, and led the team in yards. An 11-yard touchdown was Gesicki’s first of the day in the third quarter, but his day was punctuated with a 47-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter where the Raiders left him wide open on an all-out blitz. Gesicki is a low-end TE1 against the Ravens for Week 10.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor called Higgins day to day on Monday. Though he could return to practice and ultimately play on Sunday, a DNP to open the proceedings is a bad sign for his Week 9 availability. Andrei Iosivas ran a route on nearly every Joe Burrow dropback last week but did not catch a single pass. Mike Gesicki was the ancillary pass-catcher who stepped up in Higgins’ absence, reeling in seven balls for 73 yards. He will climb to the top of the TE2 rankings if Higgins is sidelined once again.

Gesicki was the Bengals’ No. 2 pass-catcher on the day, finishing second in targets and receptions to Ja’Marr Chase with Tee Higgins (quad) out. He led the team in receiving yards, running many wide receiver-like routes and operating as Joe Burrow’s safety valve. If Higgins remains out, Gesicki will be a high-end TE2 against the Raiders in Week 9.

The Bengals’ tight ends were seldom used in the team’s win over the Browns in Week 7. Gesicki was the only one to catch a pass, while Erick All, Drew Sample, and Tanner Hudson each received one target and did not catch it. Gesicki is the Bengals’ primary tight end but is no more than a deep-league dart throw moving forward.

After logging a DNP on Wednesday, Gesicki was upgraded to limited on Thursday. The veteran tight end has split time with rookie Erick All as of late, and has just 17 receptions for 178 yards on the season. Barely a reliable fantasy asset, Gesicki will be hard to trust as anything more than a dart throw in Week 6 against the Giants.

Gesicki has been effective in a part-time role for the Bengals this year, totaling 17 receptions for 178 yards through five games. Erick All has been seeing some work behind Gesicki but not enough to be a reliable fantasy option. He would jump into the TE2 ranks if Gesicki is unable to suit up this week.

Gesicki now has just three catches for 30 yards over the past two weeks after his lone Week 4 target resulted in -9 yards. He drew as many looks as rookie Erick All this afternoon. Gesicki is going to provide more chunk gains down the seam, but he does not have volume in his favor. He is shaping up as a zero-floor, low-end TE2.