Who Should I Start? Mike Gesicki or AJ Barner

Friday, August 28, 9:53 AM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki has made enough plays this summer to stay involved, but not enough to strengthen his redraft case. Gesicki caught 28 of 42 targets for 307 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games last season after a pectoral injury cost him four games. He has flashed in camp, including a contested catch during the August 16 two-minute drill, a 17-yard reception and another third-down grab from Joe Burrow on August 18, and a red-zone touchdown against Chicago two days later. The problem is still volume. Cincinnati's current depth chart lists Drew Sample ahead of Gesicki, while Erick All Jr. is back from ACL surgery and Tanner Hudson remains part of a deep rotation. Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown also sit well ahead of the tight ends in the target hierarchy. Gesicki showed he can produce with more opportunity when he caught 65 passes for 665 yards in 2024, but that workload is difficult to project with the offense healthy. RotoBaller currently ranks him TE28, leaving him better suited for matchup-based streaming than a standard redraft roster spot.