Mike Gesicki ($6,600 for Showdown) exploded this past Sunday vs. the Raiders. He caught five of his six targets for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns, resulting in 30 FPTS, which tied the tight end’s career high. The primary reason for Gesicki’s success was that Tee Higgins (quad) was inactive, which seems to be the case again this Thursday vs. the Ravens. While the Bengals didn’t practice Monday, they released an estimated practice report that had Higgins listed as DNP, meaning the wideout wouldn’t have practiced if it was a normal practice session.
Should Higgins remain sidelined, Gesicki will be an outstanding target. In the four games Higgins has missed this season, Gesicki is producing 16.1 FPTS per game, thanks to him operating as Joe Burrow’s ($10,400) clear No.2 weapon behind Ja’Marr Chase ($10,800). In those games, Gesicki has obtained a target on a massive 34% of his routes, including four redzone targets and two targets over 20 yards.
On top of the elite role Gesicki will handle if Higgins sits, this is also a tremendous spot against Baltimore’s pass funnel defense. With the Ravens giving up the fewest yards per rush (3.4), but the fourth most yards per pass (7.4), opposing offenses have no choice but to attack them through the air. The Bengals lead the league in pass rate over expectation and Gesicki could see double-digit targets in this matchup if Higgins sits.
Now, if Higgins is surprisingly available, Gesicki would be a shaky option, as he has only seen a target on 9% of his routes with Higgins active this season.
However, if the receiver misses his third straight game as expected, Gesicki will be a no-brainer option for both season-long and DFS.
Start or Sit Mike Gesicki: Start.
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