Without arguing semantics, pretty much yeah. Dragonite's higher TDO means it can put out more damage over a longer period of time due to its bulk, while Rayquaza having higher DPS means it can output more damage faster due to its attack. DPS is important when trying to beat the clock in solo raids or beat out other players for extra balls. It's why people will often front-load with glass cannons then put tankier options towards the back.
Correlation between DPS and TDO
Would someone be so kind and explain me the correlation between DPS and TDO? Like Rayquaza has higher DPS and Dragonite higher TDO. Does this mean that Dragonite does more or less the same damage as Rayquaza because of his tankiness or what am I missing?
Answers
No. High TDO = more damage dealt during the lifetime of the pokemon. It generally correlates with the ability to stay alive longer but doesn't necessarily mean that. A high DPS mon can out-TDO lower DPS mons that last much longer. Good example of this is Mewtwo and Rhydon against a Sludge Bomb Gengar. Mewtwo stays alive for about 15 seconds without dodging, Rhydon lasts for 40 seconds. Yet Mewtwo deals more total damage during the 15s than the Rhydon during the 40s ie. has higher TDO.
It means *on average* 1 Dragonite will take away a larger part of the raid boss's HP than 1 Rayquaza will. However, the Rayquaza will take HP away at a faster rate.
So no, it does not mean Dnite deals more or less the same damage, it means thanks to its tankiness it's likely to deal more damage if it fights until it dies. TDO literally stands for Total Damage Output ie. the amount of raw damage the mon leaves behind before it dies.
Ray is of course preferable because dealing damage faster is what matters for beating the raid clock and/or other players in the damage race.
What you have is like your standard 9th grade math Distance=Speed*Time
To grossly simplify things, TDO=DPS*Survival Time (in S)
TDO is positively correlated with DPS. More DPS gives more TDO, all other things equal.
DPS is independent of TDO (having more TDO can come entirely from the Survival Time component). Having more TDO does not always mean more DPS.
Hope that helps!