Should Michael Gallup’s Drops Steer You from His Dynasty Potential?
Only trailing the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys have the second-best receiving corps in football on paper. Anyone who watched the offense closely last year could see it was more of a perceived strength than a problem of any kind, yet the organization decided to take the supporting cast to the next level by drafting Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb.
This was, of course, after shoveling out a ton of cash money to Amari Cooper to keep him in Dallas in the form of five years, $60 million, and $40 million guaranteed. Some might call that a huge overpay, but it’s worth it just to keep the team’s most valuable players intact, especially since wide receiver is one of the more valuable positions in football.
This brings me to Michael Gallup, a talented, but somewhat inconsistent third-year receiver. Say what you will about the ego of Jerry Jones and how he’s handled the Cowboys this century, but keeping a high-quality player in Cooper intact while also snagging in two more gems in Gallup and Lamb on rookie contracts gives Dak Prescott plenty of options to work with in 2020.
Gallup himself is coming off a strong sophomore campaign, one where he caught 66 passes for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns (three of which came in week 17 against Washington). Via FantasyData’s metrics, that gave him 146.7 fantasy points, good enough to make him WR20 in 2019. This right here should be good enough to suggest that he’s worth your dynasty attention.
However, some might be put off by one major issue in Gallup’s skill set; His hands have been all over the place. According to Pro Football Reference, he dropped 11 passes throughout the 2019 season, second to Julian Edelman’s 13. The Cowboys had bigger issues to contend with last year, but Gallup’s consistency catching the ball isn’t quite there yet.
Right off the bat, I want to say that this isn’t a Kelvin Benjamin situation where Gallup has struggles with both catching and separating. As you may have figured out from his production, he has no problem creating separation and is a strong route runner. The issue is that he has more difficulty hauling in routine catches than he does on more difficult throws.
Gallup runs a simple out route on this second and short, creating a nice cushion of distance between himself and the corner. Oddly enough, however, he jumps to try and make a play on the ball when he could’ve easily stayed put, having a less than ideal awareness of his surroundings. Perhaps he was thinking too quickly as a result, and the ball juggles in and out of his hands for a drop.
A bigger drop came on the attempted game-tying drive late in week 16 at Philadelphia. Gallup is able to win the race one-on-one (as it tends to happen with the Eagles secondary), and Prescott lays this in perfectly over the shoulder to prevent it from getting disrupted by the defensive back. Sadly, Gallup’s timing at the catch point is off, and what should be a huge first down ends up dropping to the turf as a missed opportunity.
At the very least this is really the only flaw in Gallup’s game, but it’s one that will keep him at being a good instead of a great receiver. Fortunately, however, he also has a lot going for him, and ultimately I think he does plenty to suggest he’d make a fine investment for you and your dynasty leagues. For more on that, let’s now take a look at what Gallup does so well.
The key ingredient in Gallup’s game is that he’s an excellent route runner. Cooper frequently gets talked about as one of the better receivers against man and press coverage, but I think Gallup is at least in the same ballpark if not as good (or better!).
One of the finest routes of his second season occurred here against the Vikings. The speed on Gallup’s hip turn reminds me of players like Stefon Diggs and Curtis Samuel in a way in that he’s able to expertly break on his routes by cutting on a dime, which helps him leave more space between him and the defensive back.
That’s able to happen here, as he gets a great release off the line of scrimmage thanks to a patient first step. Then, he cuts outside to create leverage and breathing room between himself and the sideline, before cutting on a comeback route, where Prescott is able to deliver an easy throw thanks to the sharp route running Gallup possesses.
For a quicker example, let’s return to the week 16 game at Philadelphia. Playing against the Eagles’ secondaries of recent times gives receivers plenty of practice to hone their ankle-breaking cuts, which is what Gallup does here. A nice head fake (creating the false illusion that he’s running a post route) allows him to contort his lower body and break towards the sideline on a beautiful out route.
Gallup isn’t just useful before the catch, as he’s extremely impressive after it as well. He’s 6’1 and 205 lbs, but often plays like a small receiver after the catch, which allows him to make some sponge-esque moves in space. How he’s able to keep his balance on this acrobatic spin is incredible, and his incredible awareness allows him to get blockers downfield on his way to a sensational touchdown.
Finally, as highlighted previously, Gallup has a better time making plays on more difficult catches than he does on some of the easier opportunities. Throughout his career, he’s made some stellar plays on contested grabs, and one of the more notable instances occurred against the Lions in week 11 at Detroit.
The head fake comes into play once again at the beginning of the snap, as Gallup’s inside foot creates a ton of acceleration that puts him a step ahead of the corner Mike Ford (further helped by a subtle wipe move if you look close enough). The throw from Prescott floats a little in the air, so Gallup is forced to make an incredible adjustment by clearing the hands of Ford and effectively boxing him out. Though he juggles the ball initially, his concentration allows him to eventually secure the ball (with the flag being on Ford).
Michael Gallup is an incredible talent with one significant flaw, yet at the end of the day, I don’t think his issues with drops should be enough to steer you away from his dynasty potential. He does so many things right, as he’s one of the best route runners from the last few receiving classes, cuts on a dime on his route breaks, is an ankle breaker after the catch, and is capable of highlight-reel contested catches.
New head coach Mike McCarthy is investing in a lot of receiving talent with Cooper, Lamb, Blake Jarwin, Ezekiel Elliot, and Gallup at his disposal. All he has to do to be a better coach than Jason Garrett is get out of the way of Kellen Moore and the vast amount of skill player talent Dallas has to offer. This raises concerns about whether Gallup can get enough opportunities on his own, but I believe he’ll get more than his fair share of moments to shine.
I can understand if drops have you concerned about Gallup going into year three, as well as the talent around him potentially limiting his production, but as a great route runner with a lot going for him, I’d take the risk and invest in him today.
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