Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup is recovering from a torn ACL but has the opportunity for a career season upon his return. What is Gallup’s fantasy football outlook for 2022, and what’s his current ADP in fantasy drafts?
Michael Gallup fantasy outlook for 2022
The Cowboys boasted the NFL’s top-scoring offense in 2021, thanks to terrific depth across their playmaking groups. While it was great for the team to have five quality pass catchers and two solid running backs, fantasy managers suffered from the depth. Most notably, fourth-year receiver Gallup took an unexpected step back before tearing his ACL in Week 9.
Despite suffering the injury, Gallup was the one receiver who Dallas retained in addition to CeeDee Lamb. Veteran Amari Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick, and slot specialist Cedrick Wilson Jr. bolted to Miami. Gallup, who caught 35 passes for 445 yards and two scores, re-signed with the Cowboys on a five-year, $57.5 million deal.
On one hand, fantasy managers should be excited about the vacated targets around Gallup. Even if he misses two or three games as expected, he should have the No. 2 receiver job in a high-volume offense. He could be a valuable asset in the second half of the season if he’s fully healthy.
But the other side of the coin is concerning. Gallup had been a vertical threat his first three seasons but saw a dramatic drop in his yards per reception last year. His yards per target went from 9.8 in 2019 to 8.0 in 2020 and 7.2 in 2021. Despite this, his catch rate was lower than in 2019 and just 0.3% higher than in 2020.
It’s not inconceivable Gallup could be more of a rotational player throughout the season if his rehab doesn’t go as planned or the depth behind him seizes their opportunity and never give Gallup the chance to be more than a third option in the offense.
How the Cowboys’ depth chart impacts Michael Gallup’s fantasy projection for the season
Gallup was largely a non-factor in 2021 in fantasy even before his injury, but his role should expand. There’s no question that Dallas opted against investing in immediate replacements for Cooper and Wilson. Veteran James Washington has only produced one noteworthy season through four years and has been ruled out for 10-12 weeks with a training camp injury, and third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert is a raw athlete from South Alabama.
Lamb and Dalton Schultz may take some of Cooper’s 68 targets and Wilson’s 61 targets but certainly not all of them. Gallup is an underrated route-runner and some of his usage changes last season reflected his growth as an overall receiver. Dallas can deploy him in more ways than earlier in his career.
We just hope they don’t forget his ability to get deep is still a valuable skill. Dallas will again be a powerful passing offense. But for Gallup to be more of a value in fantasy, they have to feature him.
Gallup ranked 99th in red zone scoring last year, catching just two of eight targets for 14 yards and one touchdown. Cooper was 20th, posting an insane 77.8% catch rate for 84 yards and five touchdowns. Wilson was also efficient as he caught 55.6% of his nine targets for 30 yards and two scores.
I expect Kellen Moore to continue utilizing Gallup in a mixed role because he’s a more refined playmaker than Washington and Tolbert, and those two play more of a low-volume role on downfield attempts. This is great for our PPR leagues since Gallup has a thick frame that should help him be more of a possession threat.
I would certainly target Gallup later in drafts as a depth piece with considerable upside. I love that there’s not a great red zone threat besides Schultz on the roster, and there’s not a young talent waiting in the wings to usurp Gallup’s starting job. There’s plenty to go around in this offense, and Gallup will become a prominent member of the unit.
Gallup’s ADP in 2022
Gallup’s current ADP has him around 160th overall as the WR58. Given we have no idea how long he might miss, it is hardly surprising that people are hesitant to draft him. However, Gallup does present an opportunity for value, as evidenced by his 135th overall ranking as the WR53 in PFN’s consensus 2022 PPR fantasy rankings.
When you think about what Gallup could produce on a per-week basis as the WR2 in that offense when he returns, even that ranking might be low. Gallup has every opportunity to give top-30 WR output on a weekly basis as the second receiver in that offense.
The concern is what happens while he is out. Lamb and Schultz will get their targets but can Tolbert or one of the other receivers stake a claim for targets even when Gallup returns? If we do see that, then Gallup could be in a tough situation. However, even as the WR3 on the offense, he was still a top-50 fantasy points scorer on a per-game basis last year.
Therefore, Gallup is well worth the risk at his current ADP. Best-case scenario, you can place him in your IR slot for a few weeks and then activate him when he is healthy. He could then push to be a starter, either at WR or flex, on a weekly basis. That upside is huge, given Gallup is essentially a free investment in the final rounds of drafts.