Who Should I Start? Mike Gesicki or AJ Barner

Friday, September 25, 12:28 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki was heavily involved in the Week 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but disappeared last week against the Houston Texans. Gesicki led all Bengals pass catchers with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in the season opener, but did not earn a single target in Week 2. The veteran tight end went from offensive focal point to non-factor in consecutive weeks, which may have been due to the health of quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow took a big shot while running out of bounds early in Week 1. It was later revealed that Burrow was dealing with back tightness ahead of Week 2. It is possible that Burrow dealt with the back tightness throughout their Week 1 matchup and targeted Gesicki closer to the line of scrimmage for that reason. The Bengals offensive attack shifted back towards their high-volume wide receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with Burrow getting healthier. Heading into Week 3, it is difficult to trust Gesicki as anything more than a dart throw at the tight end position. Gesicki will likely have good performances again this season, but fantasy managers may not be able to predict when those will be. Gesicki is ranked TE29 in our RotoBaller Week 3 PPR rankings, putting him outside of TE2 range this week. Fantasy managers may be best served looking elsewhere for tight end production.