There’s no hiding that Michael Gallup endured a rough year in 2021 due to numerous injuries. In Week 1, he injured his leg, which caused him to miss multiple weeks. To make matters worse, in week 17 against the Cardinals, Gallup tore his ACL while catching a touchdown. Talk about taking the good with the bad on that play. There’s potential that he misses the first few games of this year after being put on PUP for training camp. Although regular season PUP and training camp PUP are two very different circumstances.
We will have to see what happens as we get closer to the season and whether the team leaves him on PUP to start the season. If that happens, Gallup will miss six games, but as of right now, he’s still in line to be active in Week 1. Ultimately, I think he will miss a few games so the Cowboys can ensure they have a healthy WR2, to which they just handed a big contract.
2021 Season Recap
Gallup was in a contract year in 2021 but didn’t play great when he was healthy. As mentioned above, he injured his leg in Week 1 against the Bucs after catching four passes for 36 yards. This caused him to miss every game until Week 9. From Week 9 to Week 17, he started every game. He had a few boom weeks, but most were busts.
On the season, Gallup caught 35 passes out of 62 targets for 445 yards and two TDs. He did average a healthy 12.71 yards per reception. Digging deeper, Gallup only had four weeks scoring over 10 PPR points. Two of those weeks were aided by the fact he scored a TD. This was with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb on the team. One of those two isn’t with the team no more, so perhaps we see Gallup rise back to his play before Lamb joined the team.
2022 Season Projections
Gallup is entering his age-26 season after re-signing with the Cowboys on a big deal in free agency. He agreed to a five-year deal worth $62.5 million. The Cowboys chose to pay Gallup and trade Cooper than do the other. This saved them money in the short term as Gallup’s $12.5 million average annual value is a lot less than the $20 million that Cooper was owed. Another significant factor is that this established Gallup as a crucial part of a high-scoring offense for the foreseeable future. It significantly raised his dynasty value compared to other destinations.
I think that Gallup gets back on track this year once he returns from his ACL injury. I ultimately predict he plays in 14 games and averages a flex-caliber 12.5 PPR points per game. He would average over 14 yards a catch in these projections. The only issue I have is his touchdowns. Those are so hard to predict, but I think he won’t be used a ton in the red zone. This handicaps his TD upside. He still has a high floor as a WR3 for your dynasty team.
Should I trade for or away Gallup?
Gallup is an interesting asset in dynasty. He’s young enough and just hitting his prime that he would fit any team regardless of if it’s a contender or rebuilder. However, if you’re rebuilding and want to sell Gallup, now is an inopportune time. His value is deflated, despite the contract, due to his recovering from a torn ACL. If you truly want to sell him, wait until a couple of weeks after he returns. Once he’s back playing and shows that he is healthy, his price will rise.
If I’m contending, I would try to buy Gallup now. See if you can buy him for a second. If Lamb were to get hurt, Gallup would step into an insane amount of workload. Even with Lamb healthy, we have seen two Cowboys’ WRs be WR2 or better in a season before. It would be wise to invest in Gallup to have him serve as your WR3. You know the Cowboys will be putting up yards and points to cover their defense.
Summary
Gallup is recovering from a torn ACL, which will likely cause him to miss the season’s first few weeks. Once he’s healthy, expect him to be a high-end WR3 with some boom weeks. He should return to being a crucial deep threat for Dak Prescott. If you’re trying to buy Gallup, do it now as he’s on the PUP. If you want to sell Gallup, wait. His price is deflated and will rise once he’s healthy again. However, you might be best just holding onto the WR2 of a talented and explosive offense.
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As always, May the Force be with You…
