The Dallas Cowboys were in the market for receivers at the beginning of the league year. After Dez Bryant’s release and Jason Witten’s retirement, adding new targets for Dak Prescott became imperative. The Cowboys didn’t disappoint, using their third-round pick (81st overall) on Colorado State wide receiver Michael Gallup.
Fort Collins ▶️▶️▶️ @dallascowboys
@mg4dontplay is on his way to Dallas!#NextLevelRams pic.twitter.com/IU5rnjHyUo
— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) April 28, 2018
Gallup, a 2017 Second-team All-American who spent two years at Colorado State after a stint at junior college, was not on many fantasy radars before the draft. But the way things have unfolded in Dallas, he’ll be one of the most intriguing rookie receivers in 2018.
Reasons to Get Excited
Situation
The Cowboys’ top returning receiver is Terrance Williams, who caught 53 passes for 568 yards. Cole Beasley is also back, though he is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career (36 catches, 314 yards).
Not only are Bryant and Witten gone, but so is Brice Butler, who narrowly edged Beasley to end the season as Dallas’ fourth-leading receiver. Allen Hurns was the only significant addition unless you count Tavon Austin, who some are listing as a running back.
In other words, Gallup should get plenty of opportunities and may even lead the Cowboys in receiving. If he’s not on the field for most of Dallas’ offensive snaps then something went very wrong.
Production
Gallup’s receiving numbers in college were near the top of the leaderboards. He was fifth in receiving yards in 2017 (1,345) and ninth in touchdowns in 2016 (14). He ended his college career as one of three finalists for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
He was also Colorado State’s top receiver by far. Their second leading receiver had 869 fewer yards than Gallup. It can’t hurt that he has experience thriving without elite talent around him.
PPR Bonus
Gallup also thrived catching the ball, finishing third in the nation in 2017 with 94 receptions. Not surprising with highlights like these:
Michael Gallup is going to be a problem 👀 #CowboysNation pic.twitter.com/LWnDnkVTtH
— Adam Collins (@AdamCollinsBNB) May 11, 2018
If he can continue to show off this ability at the next level, he’ll obviously get a boost in PPR leagues.
Reasons to Pump the Brakes
Level of Competition
Gallup played in the Mountain West and could disappear from time to time. Though his overall numbers look good, he had the benefit of feasting on some relatively poor opponents. He combined for 475 yards against Nevada and Hawaii, who had conference records of 3-5 and 1-7, respectively. He may have some trouble adjusting to NFL corners.
No Clear No. 1
It’s possible no one emerges as the top receiver in Dallas. It’s easy to envision a scenario in which a different receiver leads the Cowboys every week with little to no indication of who it will be. If the Cowboys do indeed embrace the committee approach then Gallup will likely be on drop lists by the time bye weeks roll around.
Dallas a Running Team
Dallas’ season took a nosedive in large part due to the Ezekiel Elliott situation. Now (hopefully) suspension-free, it would make sense for Dallas to get back to getting him the ball as much as possible. Considering the lack of receiving threats, a down year from Prescott and the potential to be the best running team in the league, the Cowboys could end up fielding one of the NFL’s least proficient passing offenses. Even with Elliott missing six games last year, Dallas finished 29th in pass attempts.
Conclusion
Opportunity is important, but it’s not everything. Just look at Dez Bryant, who finished 12th in targets last year but ranked 24th among wide receivers in PPR leagues. Besides, we don’t even know if Gallup is going to get much of those targets or if he’ll be able to do anything with them against NFL coverage.
The real kicker, though, is Dallas’ low-ceiling passing game. It looks like it’s going to be a crapshoot. Spending a late pick on Gallup to see what happens is defensible, but other than that it’s probably best to avoid this whole situation.
