Fantasy football managers have a complicated relationship with Gabe Davis. He’s only missed three games in three seasons, averaged 16.8 yards per catch, and scored every 5.9 receptions for his career. Lovely.
Davis posted 15 fantasy points in consecutive games once since December 2020. Oh, and his drop rate spiked last season, preventing an increased role that could’ve resulted in a true breakout. So that’s fun.
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Why This Is the Year for the Gabe Davis Breakout
At the end of the day, I’m willing to bet on the opportunity for a player in a good spot who I think is talented. Call me crazy, but that sounds good to me. Davis ran 38.7 routes per game last season (sixth-most) and owns a career aDOT of 14.8 yards.
The concern for a player with a route tree like that is often consistency, and I get that on a week-to-week basis, but this question hints at annual value, and from that sense, I’m in.
Last season, Davis hauled in multiple deep passes in the majority of games and was held without a big play only twice. That doesn’t sound inconsistent to me, and the fact that he has found the end zone at least six times in all three of his seasons doesn’t either.
Yes, the drops are maddening, and no, the occasional dud weeks aren’t going to disappear. Still, we are talking about a depressed ADP from a year ago for a featured member on arguably the most potent offense in the NFL.
He is being drafted outside the top-36 receivers, something that simply isn’t reflective of his upside. I easily prefer him to a Jaxon Smith-Njigba-type that has to fight for targets, a Treylon Burks-type in a low-volume pass game, or even a Jahan Dotson-type who is basically a version of Davis but with less offensive upside.
So, I’m in on Davis. Again. But that doesn’t mean I’m not acknowledging the underwhelming potential. In fact, I have a set of players that fall into that bucket.
The All-Laser Pointer Team:
- A combination of players that have fantasy managers embracing their inner feline. Players who qualify are the laser pointer, and we are the cat chasing it (fantasy production) all over the place with little success.
The first rule of being on the All-Laser Pointer Team is that we talk about it. All the time. You’re morally obligated to take a hard stance on these players: lukewarm takes need not be had.
You’re either the cat and willing to chase the potential again, or you’re the human with the laser pointer and laughing at the cats in your draft. In today’s NFL, the quarterback position is more immune to this list than others. With that said, here is your definitive list, with my position on them listed.
2023 All-Laser Pointer Team:
- RB: Cam Akers (cat)
- RB: D’Andre Swift (human)
- WR: Gabe Davis (cat)
- WR: D.J. Moore (human)
- TE: Kyle Pitts (cat)
Who would you add to this team? I’ll do an article in August detailing my list and any others that you guys sell me on, so fire away on Twitter!
