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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup suffered a torn ACL during Week 17 of the 2021 season. The veteran wideout appeared in just nine games for the Cowboys in 2021 after missing five contests with a calf strain. He finished the season with 35 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns while playing behind Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.
In the offseason, the Cowboys showed loyalty to Gallup, whom they re-signed to a five-year, $57.5 million contract despite the torn ligament in his knee.
Gallup is still rehabbing his knee as the start of the 2022 season draws closer. He will not appear in any preseason games and his status beyond that is still up in the air. As always, taking injured players in fantasy drafts is a high-risk/high-reward strategy. Let's dive in and take a look at when Gallup may return to the field and whether he is worth drafting in fantasy this season.
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Is Michael Gallup Playing In Week 1 Against the Buccaneers?
Gallup himself is on record saying that he does not expect to be ready to return in time for Week 1 against Tampa Bay.
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup on playing Week 1: “It’s not a reasonable possibility.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 28, 2022
That being said, some good news emerged from Dallas camp on August 18th when he was spotted running routes and catching passes for the first time since the injury.
Cowboys ended joint practices with Chargers on high notes: rookie CB DaRon Bland’s INT on one field, rookie WR Dennis Houston’s Hail Mary TD on other, and now WR Michael Gallup running routes and catches passes for first time since ACL tear. Gallup: “It felt great.” pic.twitter.com/5TaweDct5f
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 18, 2022
Another positive sign is the fact that the Cowboys did not place Gallup on the Reserve/PUP list on Tuesday, although they still can do so up until next week. Placement on the Reserve/PUP list would keep Gallup out of the Cowboys' first four regular season games.
Fantasy gamers with drafts around Labor Day will want to monitor this situation closely. If the Reserve/PUP deadline passes next week and Gallup is still active, then that is a signal that they expect him to be able to play at some point over the first month of the season.
Is Michael Gallup Worth Drafting in Fantasy Football?
Gallup is currently being drafted as pick 189 on ESPN, pick 211 on Yahoo!, and pick 170 on CBS. At those prices, Gallup is setting up as a value in fantasy leagues. Ideally, fantasy drafters will have another week to see whether he is going to miss the first four games of the season due to the Reserve/PUP list, but fantasy managers with drafts in the near future will not have that luxury.
The Cowboys figure to have an explosive passing offense in 2022 and Gallup is expected to ascend to the No. 2 receiver chair behind CeeDee Lamb. Amari Cooper is now in Cleveland, vacating 103 targets (6.87 per game). Some of those looks from Dak Prescott will surely go to Gallup, setting the latter up for what could be a career year from a fantasy points-per-game aspect.
In conclusion, Gallup is definitely worth drafting this year, especially if his ADP remains around the 15th round of drafts as he could pay off as a weekly WR3/flex option for fantasy gamers this season.
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