Gesicki may go undrafted in most standard redraft leagues, but his upside makes him a viable late-round dart throw who could become a starter if there is an injury. If not for some poor TD luck (two touchdowns on 83 targets), Gesicki could have been a borderline TE1 last year. That was certainly helped by the time Tee Higgins missed, but many of the players you draft late on draft day are injury contingent. At the very least, be prepared to add Gesicki if Higgins misses time. He averaged 14.8 PPR Fantasy points per game in the five games Higgins missed last year.
Gesicki (hamstring) is nearing a return and might be able to play if the Bengals had a regular-season game coming up this weekend, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Gesicki presumably will be held out of the preseason finale, but it sounds like he'll return to practice with plenty of time to gear up for a Week 1 game at Cleveland. While recent addition Noah Fant is a threat to take some of the snaps that Gesicki handled last season, the latter remains a clear favorite to lead Cincinnati's tight ends in routes and targets, having signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract in March (after catching 65 passes last season).
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Ruled out for second preseason game
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Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Gesicki (hamstring) is ruled out for Monday's preseason game against the Commanders, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Gesicki continues to miss practice due to a lingering hamstring injury, and he'll now be forced to sit out a second consecutive preseason game. His final chance to log exhibition action will come Saturday, Aug. 23 versus the Colts. With Gesicki out Monday, recent free-agency signee Noah Fant seems set to start at tight end in what will be his 2025 preseason debut.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Still absent from practice
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Gesicki (hamstring) is present at Wednesday's practice but is rehabbing on a side field, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Gesicki has missed over a week of practice, as well as Cincinnati's preseason opener against the Eagles, due to a hamstring injury sustained during practice on Saturday, Aug. 2. It remains to be seen whether the athletic tight end will be cleared in time to retake the field for Monday's upcoming preseason matchup against the Commanders. Recent tight end arrival Noah Fant also sat out versus Philadelphia, as he wasn't up to speed with the playbook, but he figures to have benefited from increased first-team reps with Gesicki sidelined.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: May be dealing with hamstring issue
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Gesicki (undisclosed) won't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor is playing his starters Thursday, but he mentioned Gesicki as an exception due to injury. James Rapien of SI.com reported Saturday that Gesicki appeared to injure his hamstring or upper leg on a long reception during an intrasquad scrimmage. The tight end came out of the scrimmage after the big play and seems to have been absent from team drills ever since, potentially giving recent signee Noah Fant a chance to get up to speed more quickly with the first-team offense. Taylor said Tuesday that Gesicki would be listed as questionable if Thursday's exhibition were a regular-season game.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Competing with Fant now
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The Bengals have signed Noah Fant to join Gesicki at tight end, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports.
The new addition warrants at least a slight reduction in Gesicki's playing-time and target projections, although the Bengals may end up mostly using Fant in multi-TE sets. The former Bronco and Seahawk is signing a one-year, after the Bengals gave Gesicki a three-year, $25.5 million deal this offseason. Both are catch-first tight ends, although Gesicki arguably more so, aligning in the slot or out wide more often that he's tight to the formation. Fant could now take some of the single-TE-formation snaps (and routes/targets) that might otherwise have gone to Gesicki.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Three-year extension with Cincy
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The Bengals signed Gesicki to a three-year, $25.5 million extension Saturday, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
Gesicki joined the Bengals on a one-year, $2.5 million contract in March of 2024 after spending the 2023 season with the Patriots and the first five years of his NFL career with the Dolphins. After logging 61 catches in the two seasons prior to 2024, Gesicki had a nice bounce-back campaign in Cincinnati, where he registered 65 catches (on 83 targets) for 665 yards and two touchdowns across 17 regular-season games. Gesicki had six games in which he tallied at least 50 receiving yards, and the 2018 second-round pick out of Penn State will continue to serve as Joe Burrow's security blanket in the passing game.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Steps up in short-handed attack
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Gesicki secured eight of 10 targets for 68 yards in the Bengals' 19-17 win over the Steelers on Saturday night.
Gesicki finished second in receptions, receiving yards and targets behind Ja'Marr Chase, as Tee Higgins' early exit due to an ankle injury helped boost the veteran tight end's involvement. Gesicki finished the regular season with a combined 18-154 line on 22 targets over the last two games, and his final 65-665-2 tally across 17 regular-season games featured his best catch and yardage totals since his 2021 season with Dolphins. If the Bengals are able to squeak into the postseason with a Broncos loss and Dolphins loss or tie Sunday, Gesicki figures to remain a solid complementary component of the air attack irrespective of Higgins' availability.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Gesicki had a solid game against the Steelers in Week 13 with five catches for 53 yards on five targets, and Pittsburgh has allowed five tight ends to score at least 10.3 PPR points in the past five games, including four touchdowns. Gesicki just had 10 catches for 86 yards on 12 targets in Week 17 against Denver, and he could be needed again if the run game struggles for the Bengals with Chase Brown (ankle) likely out. I like Gesicki as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy option in all leagues in Week 18.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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Gesicki could be needed again in Week 18 at Pittsburgh if the run game struggles like it did in Week 17 against Denver, and Chase Brown (ankle) might not play. Against the Broncos, Gesicki had 10 catches for 86 yards on 12 targets. He also had a solid game against the Steelers in Week 13, with five catches for 53 yards on five targets. I like Gesicki as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy option in all leagues against the Steelers, who could be resting starters on defense.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Involvement spikes
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Gesicki recorded 10 receptions on 12 targets for 86 yards in Saturday's 30-24 overtime win against the Bengals.
Ja'Marr Chase drew most of Denver's defensive attention, and Gesicki took advantage by matching career highs in both targets and receptions. He was limited primarily to short gains, but he recorded key receptions of 10 and 12 yards in overtime -- the latter of which helped set up a potential game-winning field goal. While it was a solid performance, Gesicki had failed to top five targets in five straight games entering Saturday's contest.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Two grabs in Week 16
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Gesicki caught both of his targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 24-6 win over the Browns.
Gesicki played just 34 percent of the Bengals' offensive snaps while fellow tight end Drew Sample handled an 88 percent share of the snaps. Since the Bengals' Week 12 bye, the 29-year-old Gesicki has failed to reach a 50 percent snap share in any contest. With limited opportunities in the Cincinnati passing attack, the veteran profiles as a touchdown-dependent fantasy option at tight end.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Three catches in Week 15 win
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Gesicki caught three of four targets for 37 yards in Sunday's 37-27 win over the Titans.
Gesicki finished a distant third on the team in receiving yards behind Ja'Marr Chase (94) and Tee Higgins (88). The veteran tight end has accounted for only two of Joe Burrow's league-leading 36 touchdown passes heading into a Week 16 home game against the Browns, but Gesicki has carved out a passable floor with at least three catches in each of his last three games.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Nabs three catches Monday
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Gesicki brought in all three of his targets for 24 yards in Monday's 27-20 win over Dallas.
Gesicki has caught all eight of his targets since the Bengals Week 12 bye, resulting in 77 yards. Those numbers scratch the surface for those in deeper formats but leave much to be desired as a standard-league tight end. Gesicki and the Bengals have a road tilt scheduled against the Titans in Week 15.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: TEs to Sit
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Gesicki was a nice surprise with his production in Week 13 against Pittsburgh with five catches for 53 yards on five targets, but he typically struggles when Tee Higgins is healthy. That's the first time all season that Gesicki has scored double digits in PPR with Higgins on the field. I'm expecting Gesicki to regress in Week 14 at Dallas, and he's only worth starting in deep leagues as long as Higgins is healthy.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Held catchless on SNF
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Gesicki failed to bring in either of his targets in Sunday's 34-27 loss to the Chargers.
Gesicki had a rough go of things in a smaller role following star wideout Tee Higgins' (quadriceps) return Sunday. The veteran tight end has truly been a boom-or-bust option in fantasy this season, producing four games with less than one standard fantasy point while posting big numbers in others. Gesicki enters a bye week with a line of 34-383-2 in 12 starts with Cincinnati. The Bengals resume play against the Steelers on Dec. 1.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Modest output in loss
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Gesicki brought in four of nine targets for 30 yards in the Bengals' 35-34 loss to the Ravens on Thursday night.
Gesicki was third on the team in targets with a figure that also tied his season high, but unlike other games when Tee Higgins (quadricep) has been sidelined, Gesicki couldn't do much with the opportunity. The veteran tight end's yardage total was his fifth of 30 yards or less this season, and assuming Higgins is back to full health for a Week 11 road matchup against the Chargers on Sunday night, Nov. 17, Gesicki could revert to a much smaller role.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: TEs to Start
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Gesicki has done well so far this season when Tee Higgins is hurt, and Higgins (quadriceps) isn't expected to play in Week 10 at Baltimore. Higgins has missed four games this season, and Gesicki has scored at least 12.3 PPR points in three of those outings. In Week 9 against Las Vegas with Higgins out, Gesicki had five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns on six targets. The Ravens have allowed two tight ends in the past three games to score at least 17.1 PPR points, and I like Gesicki as a top-five Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Week 10 Waiver Priority List
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Tee Higgins (quadriceps) could be out again Thursday at Baltimore, and if that happens, then Gesicki is a must-start tight end in all leagues. Higgins has missed four games this season, and Gesicki has scored at least 12.3 PPR points in three of those outings. In Week 9 against Las Vegas with Higgins out, Gesicki had five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns on six targets. It will be tough to trust Gesicki when Higgins is healthy, but given the short week, Gesicki is worth adding in all leagues for at least 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Comes alive with late TDs
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Gesicki secured five of six targets for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals' 41-24 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Gesicki was the surprise leader in receiving yards on the afternoon for the Bengals, but he'd never gotten close had it not been for the 58 yards he gained on his two second-half touchdown grabs, the latter an impressive 47-yard catch and run with 5:37 remaining to put the game definitively out of reach. Gesicki has consistently delivered strong performances whenever Tee Higgins (quadricep) has been sidelined, and he may have another opportunity to take the field without his teammate due to the short turnaround before a Week 10 road matchup against the Ravens on Thursday night.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Week 9 Waiver Priority List
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Gesicki is only worth adding if Tee Higgins (quadriceps) is out again in Week 9 against the Raiders. Higgins has missed three games this season, and in two of them, Gesicki has scored at least 12.3 PPR points, including Week 8 against Philadelphia when he had seven catches for 73 yards on eight targets. Keep an eye on the injury report, and Gesicki is worth adding for 5-10 percent of your remaining FAB.
