Rico Gathers Fantasy Advice After 1st Preseason Game

Rico Gathers made his NFL debut at tight end for the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, having an immediate impact with a 26-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Kellen Moore against the Arizona Cardinals defense. 

Overall, Gathers finished the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game with three receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown on four targets. 

A standout basketball player at Baylor University, Gathers played no football in college and still showed enough athleticism during pre-draft workouts to be selected in the sixth round by the Cowboys. 

Gathers' touchdown catch showed exactly why the Cowboys took a chance on his talent, as he had Cardinals safety Ironhead Gallon draped all over him:

One play, even in the first preseason game, will be enough to get Gathers noticed. Fantasy owners will be particularly enamored with the opportunity to stash the 23-year-old on their roster. 

Unfortunately, it's still not time to draft Gathers to your team. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News highlighted the positives and negatives with the 2015 All-Big 12 first-team basketball star.

"He has improved dramatically from where he was at this stage last year," Moore wrote. "He flashes brilliance. What he needs to do in this camp is show a better understanding of the offense—he still makes too many assignment mistakes—and more consistency in his level of performance."

The Cowboys aren't a team lacking in talent on offense, especially at tight end. Jason Witten is as steady and reliable as any tight end in the NFL. Geoff Swaim, who was a seventh-round draft pick in 2015, has two years of experience in this offense and is miles ahead of Gathers on the development curve. 

There's no denying Gathers' natural athleticism. His raw potential in the NFL makes him worth following throughout the preseason, but he's not worth more than a waiver-wire stash in a dynasty league at this still-early stage of his development.