Mike Gesicki’s fantasy value increases after Dolphins’ opt-outs

Is tight end Mike Gesicki ready to be a fantasy football star in 2020?

69 players opted out of the 2020 NFL season ahead of the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline on Thursday, Aug. 7. While most players who opted out were lesser names or guys who make their living playing in the trenches, one team that did lose a pair of skill position players of note was the Miami Dolphins. Could tight end Mike Gesicki be a huge beneficiary of these two opt-outs?

The Fantasy Footballers discussed the key players who opted out from a fantasy football perspective. While Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devin Funchess were the two biggest names, Miami will be without a pair of wide receivers this season in Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson. Is Gesicki ready for an increase in targets?

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Miami does have a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver in DeVante Parker, but is incredibly thin at the position otherwise. In the deepest wide receiver draft in NFL history, Miami didn’t draft a single wideout. In fact, they drafted a former option quarterback from the Naval Academy in Malcolm Perry in the hopes he could be transformed into one. So no, it’s not a great spot for Miami.

Mike Gesicki is a massive beneficiary from two of his teammates opting out.

Gesicki enters year three out of Penn State with the Dolphins. He only 22 catches for 202 yards as a rookie in 2018, but did improve considerably last season with 51 catches for 570 yards and five touchdowns. He built a great rapport with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, as he quickly became a focal point of the Dolphins passing offense along with Parker as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver.

Not only is it year three for Gesicki in the NFL, but it’s his second year playing under head coach Brian Flores. While Chan Gailey comes in as the Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator, Fitzpatrick flourished in this system when he was a member of the 2015 New York Jets. This bodes well for Fitzpatrick, Gesicki and maybe even No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa if he gets to play this year.

While Fitzpatrick will look to Gesicki on third down and in the red zone, being a reliable pass-catcher may help Gesicki become a favorite target of Tagovailoa’s, as well as his safety valve. Miami will have to adjust without Hurns and Wilson for 2020, but the Dolphins may something special at tight end in Gesicki. Look for this to be his breakout season with the Dolphins in 2020.