What You Need To Know:

• Following Preston Williams’ torn ACL — an 8-game sample — Gesicki ranked as the TE8.
• Prior to Williams’ injury, Gesicki averaged a mere 5.7 PPR points per game.
• Williams is expected back for Week 1, which puts a dent in Gesicki’s upside.

Second year leap

After a lost rookie year, Gesicki appeared to be following the same path in 2019. Through 8 games, he averaged a lousy 5.7 PPR points per game. He never scored and cleared 55 yards only once.

Then upstart WR Preston Williams suffered a torn ACL, robbing him of the final 8 games. That freed up 7.5 targets per game.

Sure enough, from that point forward, Gesicki’s targets rose from 3.9 per game to 7.3. Boosted by 5 TDs, he ranked as the TE8 over the back half of the season. Miami frequently used him as a “big slot,” where he soaked up a TE-high 374 snaps.

Some of the underlying numbers look encouraging. Gesicki finished with 10 end zone targets, 2nd most among TEs. His average depth of target (11.3 yards) also ranked 2nd at the position. That helped produce 7 gains of 20+ yards on 51 receptions.

But the end zone number was certainly fueled by a lack of alternatives beyond DeVante Parker (and a non-existent run game). And we knew the Penn State standout had straight line speed.

Now, is he the type of guy capable of producing when the target competition is higher? He caught just 57% of his targets and managed only 1.09 yards per route run, per Pro Football Focus. That put him in a range with Darren Fells and Jimmy Graham.

PFF also charted Gesicki’s receiving grade at just 60.5 — outside the top-40 TEs.

Third year outlook

There are a couple of keys to the 2020 season for Gesicki.

First, the health of Preston Williams. He’s currently expected to be fine for Week 1, and if he quickly gets back to pre-injury form, it’ll lower Gesicki’s target ceiling. There’s almost no chance Miami finishes with the league’s 2nd hig…