Don't Dismiss Michael Gallup in 2021 Fantasy Leagues

As fantasy football managers we all have those guys who burned us the year prior and are hesitant to go back to the well again. Michael Gallup may feel like that player for some, but he shouldn’t be.

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Despite a WR51 finish in half-PPR points per game in 2020, Gallup is poised for a nice bounce-back season and his price tag is pretty affordable depending on the draft site. Here’s a look at why recency bias shouldn’t come into play when it comes to drafting the Cowboys’ wideout this season.

Dak is Back

In 2019 with a full season for both Dak Prescott and Michael Gallup, Gallup was the WR16 in half-PPR points per game, averaging 12.8 per contest. Last year in the four games that Prescott started (and with CeeDee Lamb), Gallup averaged 68.8 yards per tilt on six targets, and he rarely came off the field in that timeframe, playing on 88% of the snaps in Weeks 1-4.

With a healthy Prescott under center and a top-10 offensive line keeping him upright, the fantasy scoring potential for all of the weapons in the Dallas offense is extremely high, and getting a pass-catching piece at an affordable price could be a difference-maker.

Gallup’s Opportunity and Usage

I feel like one of those dolls that you pull the string and it screeches one saying over and over in this space, but volume is king when it comes to fantasy football, and Gallup’s perceived value this season is predicated on opportunities.

Both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb are still a big part of this offense, but there should be plenty of pie to go around this year. Dallas played at an extremely fast pace for the first four games in 2020 with Prescott under center—in fact, their 77.2 plays per contest were the highest in the NFL in that timeframe. Prescott averaged 50.8 pass attempts in each of those games which were also a league-high, and if he’s even remotely close to that number in 2021 Gallup’s numbers should benefit.

Despite all the hype surrounding the other two wideouts, Gallup is the best X-receiver in this Dallas offense. He’s their strongest vertical and downfield guy, leading the offense in both yards per reception (14.3) and aDOT (11.84) last season, with Lamb and Cooper’s aDOTs coming in at 9.26 and 8.75, respectively. According to PlayerProfiler.com, Gallup saw 15 contested targets in 2020 with a 66.7% catch rate, which was 10th among wideouts.

Bargain Pricing Means Insane Value

Gallup’s ADP varies quite a bit from site to site, so he can be had for dirt cheap in some formats and is closer to his ceiling in others. He’s being drafted as a WR4 to even WR5 in some places but has the potential for a WR3 floor. Here’s a look at where he’s coming off draft boards according to 4for4’s ADP tool.

In redraft leagues, Gallup should provide depth as a bye-week fill-in for your WR3 or flex spot, and could be used as a bench streamer based on particular secondary matchups. In best ball situations, the 25-year old is certainly capable of delivering a few of those spiky weeks that are the keys to a successful season-long campaign in the format.

Bottom Line

• A healthy Dak Prescott means a fast-paced, high-scoring offense and Michael Gallup should be an integral part, despite his perceived spot in the Dallas pecking order.
• Gallup saw 100+ targets in a 2020 down year for the Cowboys’ offense and there’s nothing to indicate a downward trend, so that puts him in WR3 range in opportunity terms which breeds production.
• The fourth-year wideout is being drafted as a WR4/5, leaving boards as WR37 in Underdog formats and WR45 in MFL redraft leagues. However, he has legit WR3 potential with even more upside if any of his fellow pass-catchers miss time.