Gesicki caught four of six targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Patriots.
Making his return from a four-game absence due to a pectoral strain, Gesicki paced Cincinnati tight ends in volume, as Noah Fant, Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample each had just one catch and none topped nine yards. The Bengals' passing game could look very different in Week 13 if Joe Burrow (toe) is ready to return, but with Tee Higgins (concussion) potentially unavailable, there could be targets available once again for Gesicki in a Thanksgiving clash with the Ravens. Through seven appearances this season, he's managed a 12-96-0 line on 22 targets.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Comes off IR
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The Bengals activated Gesicki (pectoral) from injured reserve Friday.
Since injuring his pectoral Week 6 at Green Bay, Gesicki has missed the requisite four games on IR, and his ability to practice in full Wednesday and Thursday was enough for Cincinnati to bring him back to the active roster ahead of the weekend. He thus will be among the top TE options along with Noah Fant for whoever is helming the offense Sunday against the Patriots. Those options include Joe Burrow (toe, IR) and Joe Flacco (right shoulder).
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Full participant in return
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Gesicki (pectoral) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
The Bengals opened Gesicki's practice window Wednesday, with full participation suggesting he has a chance to be activated from injured reserve before Sunday's game against New England. The Bengals have used a committee at tight end all season, but there may not be room for Tanner Hudson once Gesicki is ready to play.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Practice window opens
Rotowire
The Bengals announced Wednesday that Gesicki (pectoral) has been designated to return from IR.
Gesicki will now kick off a 21-day window wherein he can practice without counting against the active roster. He can be added to the 53-man roster at any point in that span, making him tentatively eligible to retake the field as early as Sunday's game against the Patriots, health pending. Once fully healthy, Gesicki is expected to reclaim the No. 1 tight end role in Cincinnati from Noah Fant.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Recovery progress encouraging
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Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday that the team has seen "encouraging" recovery progress from Gesicki (pectoral), Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Gesicki remains on IR and isn't eligible to return in time for Sunday's game against the Steelers, though he could have his 21-day practice window opened in advance of Cincinnati's contest against the Patriots in Week 12. It's possible, however, that Gesicki could require more time to get healthy. Noah Fant has handled an expanded role in the receiving game in Gesicki's absence, and he will continue to do so for at least one more week.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Lands on IR
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The Bengals placed Gesicki (pectoral) on injured reserve Wednesday.
Gesicki will be forced to miss at least four games due to a pectoral injury sustained during the Bengals' loss to the Packers on Sunday. Since Bengals have a Week 10 bye, Gesicki's first chance to return to action will arrive Week 12 against the Patriots on Nov. 23. With Gesicki sidelined, Noah Fant is expected to step up as the No. 1 tight end for Cincinnati, beginning with Thursday's game versus the Steelers. Reserve tight end Tanner Hudson (concussion) also may benefit from increased receiving opportunities, though he looks uncertain to be available Thursday.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Set to miss some time
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Gesicki will be out for "a while" after suffering a pectoral injury in Sunday's 27-18 loss to the Packers, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
The team is still gathering more information on the extent of Gesicki's injury, but he's already been ruled out for this Thursday's game against the Steelers, and he could miss additional games beyond Week 7. Gesicki played just two offensive snaps against the Packers before exiting the game during the Bengals' opening drive. Tanner Hudson filled in as the primary receiving tight end, securing four of five targets for 10 yards and one touchdown, but Hudson is now in the league's concussion protocol. If both Gesicki and Hudson can't play Thursday, Noah Fant, Drew Sample and Cam Grandy would represent the Bengals' available tight ends.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Won't return Sunday
Rotowire
Gesicki won't return to Sunday's game against the Packers after suffering a left pectoral injury.
Prior to his exit from the game, Gesicki didn't record a catch. In his absence, Noah Fant, Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson will handle the Bengals' tight-end duties versus Green Bay. Gesicki's next chance to see game action will occur Thursday night against the Steelers.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Another quiet game
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Gesicki recorded two catches for 15 yards on five targets in Sunday's 37-24 loss to the Lions.
After turning in a big campaign in 2024 with 65 catches for 665 yards and two touchdowns, Gesicki hasn't gotten on track in five games this season. The addition of Noah Fant has cut into Gesicki's workload, and the Bengals have struggled as a whole offensively since Jake Browning stepped in at quarterback for the injured Joe Burrow (toe). Through five weeks, Gesicki has managed a poor 8-61-0 receiving line on 16 targets.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Targeted once
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Gesicki caught his lone target for eight yards in Monday's 28-3 loss to the Broncos.
Gesicki led all Bengals tight ends in offensive snaps (27), playing ahead of teammates Drew Sample (22), Cam Grandy (4) and Tanner Hudson (1). The veteran tight end's increase in playing time came with teammate Noah Fant sidelined with a concussion. Through four games, the veteran tight end has recorded just six receptions for 46 scoreless yards. It remains to be seen if Fant will return to action for Cincinnati's next game, but Gesicki should be avoided for fantasy purposes either way, as the Bengals offense continues to struggle. The Bengals are set to host the Lions in Week 5.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Falls short of productive game
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Gesicki had three catches for 18 yards in Sunday's win over the Jaguars. He was tackled inside the one-yard line on the Bengals' final drive.
The addition of Noah Fant has cut into Gesicki's production, as has the emergence of other red zone targets like Mitchell Tinsley, who scored on his lone target Sunday.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: One grab in win
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Gesicki caught one of three targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 17-16 win over the Browns.
Gesicki's quiet start to the season was overshadowed by teammate Noah Fant, as the latter finished the contest with four catches on five targets for 26 yards and a touchdown. The veteran tight end played just 16 of Cincinnati's 52 offensive snaps, behind both Fant (26) and Drew Sample (36). Gesicki should continue to see limited opportunities in the Bengals' passing attack, all but removing him completely from fantasy consideration going forward. The 29-year-old will have his next opportunity to get involved when the Bengals host the Jaguars in Week 2.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: No longer dealing with injury
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Gesicki (hamstring) is not listed on Wednesday's injury report, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Gesicki missed much of August due to a hamstring injury, which gave Noah Fant an opportunity to handle expanded first-team reps at tight end, but he's back to full health ahead of Sunday's regular-season opener on the road against Cleveland. With premier target hogs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins atop the wide receiver depth chart, and backfield mates Chase Brown and Samaje Perine both boasting a three-down skillset, Gesicki has a difficult path to earning consistent target volume on a weekly basis, especially with Fant now offering competition. He is still, however, the favorite to lead the Bengals' tight end position in targets after having inked a three-year, $25.5 million extension with the team this offseason.
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Bengals' Mike Gesicki: Should return soon
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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: 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
Rotowire
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)
Rotowire
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.
