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The Dallas Cowboys passing game underperformed last season for multiple reasons. One reason was WR2 Michael Gallup's delayed recovery from injury.
Gallup had a promising first three seasons. In 2019 and 2020, he combined for 1,950 yards and 11 touchdowns. Unfortunately, in 2021, he missed seven games with injuries and tore his ACL in Week 17. The ACL tear caused him to miss the first three weeks of the 2022 season, and when he did come back, he didn't look his best. He recorded the lowest totals of his career for yardage, yards per route run, yards per reception, and PFF grade.
He was not a capable replacement for Amari Cooper as the Cowboys' WR2. Could he be the Cowboys' WR2 in 2023, two years removed from his ACL tear? Or will he cede that role to new Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks?
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Michael Gallup Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Cooks had arthroscopic surgery following the Cowboys' playoff loss this past season. The surgery shocked some Cowboys' fan bloggers who thought it an indication that Gallup's injuries were even more serious than reported. But the surgery he had performed was non-invasive, and many players have off-season surgery to decrease pain or clear something up from a prior surgery.
But there's good news. Gallup is participating in organized team activities, and he says, "I feel springy again."
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy also criticized Gallup's 2022 usage. According to ESPN,
Last season, McCarthy felt like Gallup ran too many go routes that did not make him a big enough piece of the offense. This season, McCarthy mentioned adding more to Gallup's plate rather than having him exclusively play the X receiver role.
The Cowboys have a new offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, coming in to replace Kellen Moore, so their offense is going to look different than it did last season. The Seattle Seahawks averaged between 25.3 points per game and 28.7 points per game in each of Schottenheimer's three seasons as offensive coordinator from 2018-2020.
Michael Gallup 2023 Fantasy Outlook
If Michael Gallup can pick up where he was in 2019 and 2020, he could get back to being a WR3/4. In 2020, he ranked as the WR36.
QB Dak Prescott had a thumb injury that may have hampered his production last season. Prescott has been observed to struggle when he lacks a quality WR2. Having a healthy Gallup and Cooks coming in could help the whole Dallas offense. While the presence of Cooks might force Gallup off the field in some sets or create more competition for passes, Gallup has been productive as a WR3 before.
In 2020, Gallup was behind Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, but he still made 59 catches for 843 yards and five touchdowns. It was good for a fringe WR3 finish, but it was worse than his 2019 showing, in which he was the WR2 and nearly equaled Cooper's yardage total. Gallup probably will not go over 1,000 yards again this season, as he did in 2019.
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