Mike Gesicki, NEP
Gesicki has dropped in dynasty over the last two seasons. His current ADP is TE24, going in round 15. Gesicki was a nice rising young tight end after seeing between 2020 and 2021 almost 200 targets, producing 1,500 yards and eight touchdowns. He didn’t fit in with Dolphin’s offenses that needed a tight end to block and get out into his route.
Gesicki’s strength is the route running and pass-catching side of a tight end. He gets an opportunity with the Patriots to be a more receiving tight end than an inline blocking tight end. Mac Jones hasn’t shown much to elevate the talent around him. But he doesn’t have a locked-in first or second-pass catcher. Gesicki can be the top two pass option in New England. If he performs well, there is an opportunity for him to get re-signed by the Patriots as aging Hunter Henry leaves after the final year of his contract. Gesicki deserves more than TE24 overall.
Isaiah Likely, BAL
As the band Whitesnake once famously sang, “Here I Go Again,” writing about how awesome Likely is. In addition to rostering him in every league I could last year, I covered him in my 2022 Ravens Fantasy Focus piece, so it was great to see Likely succeed as a Rookie. He finished TE26 in overall Fantasy Points and showed a lot of promise as a future top-tier Tight End in the NFL.
I was shocked to learn he was being drafted as the TE23 in our most recent Nerds ADP. That ADP does bake in a bit of his promise, but I still think that’s too low to be drafting Likely in Dynasty formats. I would easily draft him ahead of players like Trey McBride (TE19), Luke Musgrave (TE20), and Luke Schoonmaker (TE21). He has top-15 potential within the next few years, and I’m not scared by his place as Mark Andrews’s backup. He is a unique talent who will continue to find his way onto the field in creative packages as the Ravens cater more of their offense to his skill set.
Isaiah Likely needs major involvement in the Ravens’ 2023 offense pic.twitter.com/NU45EuZuI0
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) July 6, 2023
When it comes to Dynasty, it’s imperative to try and buy certain players before they fully break out. Especially at the Tight End position, because of how thin the top tiers can be. Breakouts can seem impossible to predict in this league at times, but not with a player the caliber of Likely. Get him on your roster at this price and enjoy the benefits, as his value only goes up.
Gerald Everett, LAC
Everett is in the last year of his contract, but he is being slept on at TE28 in Dynastynerds Superflex startup ADP. He is being drafted that late even after a TE13 performance in 2022. The fact that he will be 29 years old when the season starts is differently a knock, but it should not scare you away from him. In 2022, Everett caught 55 receptions on 82 targets. The Chargers passed to the tight end at an 18.4% target share rate.
Besides having Justin Herbert at quarterback, the best thing for Everett’s value to me is the new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore formerly of the Dallas Cowboys. In 2022 Moore’s offense passed to the tight end at a rate of 23.9 %. If the Chargers pass to the tight end more this season, Everett’s production is bound to increase. Due to the offense, he has some hype in the trade market. His value is still too low in startups. Players being drafted in front of him that you should be drafting him over are Daniel Bellinger and Jelani Woods. Everett’s ceiling is a repeat top 15 performance.
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