NFL Fantasy Breakouts: Why you should pick up Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup

Michael Gallup’s long-awaited breakout season is finally here. The Cowboys’ talented wideout missed almost 10 weeks after exiting Week 1’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to injury. Now that he’s back, the Cowboys have fully integrated the fourth-year wide receiver back into their offense.

Before the start of the season, fantasy managers were bullish on Michael Gallup’s projected breakout season. At worst, the third option on an explosive, pass-happy offense, Gallup figured to get his share of Dak Prescott's passing pie. Managers were also eager to draft the wide receiver at a value compared to his teammates CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper.

It seems that the breakout is now. In Thursday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints, Gallup had five catches for 36 yards with an acrobatic, leaping touchdown catch. With the fantasy playoffs near and the Cowboys ramping up to stay atop the NFC East, fantasy managers can expect Michael Gallup to help them win their league.

NFL Fantasy: Cowboys WR Michael Gallup should be a starter for your fantasy team

While CeeDee Lamb is the number one pass-catching option for the Cowboys and Amari Cooper a close second (arguably), Michael Gallup should be rostered in all fantasy leagues because of his low price/high potential. Gallup already figures to slot into the third option behind Cooper and ahead of TE Dalton Schultz in worst-case scenarios.

In best-case scenarios like on Thanksgiving, Gallup was the number one option when both Lamb and Cooper were out of the lineup. Gallup returned a five catch, 106 yard day that rewarded fantasy managers who started him.

Amari Cooper played in the TNF matchup against the Saints, but his conditioning was off due to recovering from COVID. As a result, Gallup and Lamb soaked up most of the targets from Dak Prescott. The case for Michael Gallup starts with his targets. Even with both Lamb and Cooper ahead of him on the depth chart, Gallup averages 8.5 targets in four games (excluding Week 10’s game, which was his first game back from injury and the Cowboys eased him back into the game plan).

Targets are king when it comes to fantasy projections, and if a wide receiver gets consistent targets, he is more likely to translate that into relevant fantasy points. For a talented receiver like Gallup, fantasy managers have a legitimate WR3 or better on their roster. He is a deep-threat that could get instant double-digit fantasy points off of one long yardage reception for a touchdown.

Additionally, Michael Gallup is in a contract year and will look for a bigger payday at the end of the season. The Cowboys might want to keep him or another team will offer more money and more opportunities for his services. Regardless, he should be extra-motivated to perform on the field, and his opportunities and usage in the Cowboys’ offense are valuable for fantasy purposes.