Oronde Gadsden fantasy football news and podcast insights

Oronde Gadsden's role is limited and may not expand in 2026. From Week 3 onward last season, Gadsden logged 65% of routes, ranking just 24th among all tight ends during that span, and was essentially used as a huge slot receiver. With new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel expected to deploy plenty of 12 personnel and 13 personnel, play-action targets that would benefit tight ends may not be headed Gadsden's way if he isn't out there in heavier personnel.

NegativeRoleAug 23, 2026Fantasy Life Articles

Oronde Gadsden is being drafted as a top-10 tight end on Sleeper at ADP 94.7, coming off the board as a top-100 overall player, while his Underdog ADP is 160.9. The source expresses strong skepticism about this valuation, stating 'I don't get this one at all,' suggesting Gadsden is significantly overvalued on Sleeper.

PositiveValueAug 23, 2026Fantasy Life Articles

Gadsden is listed among the Chargers' primary weapons available to Justin Herbert in 2026, indicating he is part of the offensive arsenal under new OC Mike McDaniel.

NegativeRoleAug 22, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Gadsden II was not included in the Chargers' 2-TE set in preseason Week 2, with Charlie Kolar and David Njoku getting the reps instead. The source notes Gadsden is pass-only and his blocking limitations are evident.

NegativeRoleAug 21, 2026Yahoo Fantasy Football

PositiveUsageAug 21, 2026Jacob Gibbs

Jacob Gibbson X

2026 Fantasy Football Rankings - Tight End These are for 12-team managed leagues. If you only have to start one TE and can turn to the waiver wire, I lean heavily into swinging big on upside. ie Oronde Gadsden II is ranked WAY higher than his reasonable expectation at this point. I think he makes sense as a bench stash to pair with someone like Dallas Goedert. If the role isn't there early, you can drop Gadsden. Same principle applies to Gunnar Helm, Terrance Ferguson, Michael Mayer, Eli Rari...

PositiveNewsAug 21, 2026Establish The Run

Establish The Runon X

Things that could matter from Thursday night's preseason slate: 1. De'Zhaun Stribling fucks 2. Mike Washington fucks 3. Oronde Gadsden has played clearly behind Kolar and Njoku both weeks 4. Tre Tucker rested, Jalen Nailor played 5. Kaelon Black is healthy, Jordan James is not

PositiveUsageAug 21, 2026Zain Dhanani

Chargers Review with Herbert (3 snaps - small sample): Ladd McConkey played all 3 positions - signaling they could just going to move him around all the time (they should - he can do it all) - he came out after this with Herbert Omarion Hampton got all 3 RB reps and sat after this, then Keaton Mitchell came in and stayed in until the early 2nd, then Vidal came in (clear 3rd - no overlap w/ Mitchell) Vidal did only play the 2nd Q, so it still signals they pulled him earlier than traditional 3r...

PositiveUsageAug 21, 2026Dataroma

Dataromaon X

Important fantasy takeaways from last night’s preseason action (Thursday 8/20): + Tre Tucker rests w/ starters while Nailor plays, clear WR1? + Malik Benson > Jack Bech this week. Assume Benson is the Tucker replacement right now, not great for Bech + Mike Washington hits on another explosive, clear RB2 behind Jeanty and a great late round pick + Woody Marks gets every 1st team rep w/o Montgomery, continue to believe he has a real role + Gadsden seems like clear TE3 right now. Maybe things ch...

PositiveNewsAug 21, 2026Adam Levitan

Adam Levitanon X

Things that could matter from Thursday night's preseason slate: 1. De'Zhaun Stribling fucks 2. Mike Washington fucks 3. Oronde Gadsden has played clearly behind Kolar and Njoku both weeks 4. Tre Tucker rested, Jalen Nailor played 5. Kaelon Black is healthy, Jordan James is not

Chargers receiver Oronde Gadsden II had an 18-yard catch and carry in the preseason game against San Francisco that was negated by an illegal shift penalty, indicating offensive involvement but highlighting execution issues.

NegativeUsageAug 21, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Gadsden caught a 16-yard pass from D.J. Uiagalelei to move the chains early in the second half.

PositiveUsageAug 21, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Gadsden II caught a 16-yard pass from D.J. Uiagalelei on the Chargers' opening drive of the second half, moving the chains early.

PositiveUsageAug 21, 2026Bolts From The Blue

PositiveNewsAug 21, 2026Zain Dhanani

For these reasons and now the coaching staff basically showing us over 2 weeks of preseason, Gadsden is not going to get adequate playing time to matter for redraft this season Best Ball I am still not taking many chances but you could convince me on a rd 18 flier

Derek Brown explicitly avoids Gadsden in drafts despite five TE1 finishes in Weeks 6-18 last year, citing his TE17 overall fantasy points per game ranking. In that 13-game sample, Gadsden ranked 36th in target per route run rate, 15th in yards per route run, 22nd in first-read share, and 29th in first downs per route run among 50 qualifying tight ends. Brown flags concerning red flags including failed route share above 70% after Week 15, plus the Chargers' offseason additions of Charlie Kolar and David Njoku, locking Gadsden into a tight end committee situation Brown wants no part of.

PositiveBustAug 20, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Gadsden II ranks fifth on the source's consensus sleeper list with an expert consensus ranking (ECR) of 20 and an average draft position (ADP) of 17, indicating experts are willing to reach for him 3 spots higher than average draft position.

PositiveSleeperAug 19, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Gadsden had 2 catches for 21 yards against the Texans in preseason action.

NegativeUsageAug 18, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Gadsden was a welcome surprise as a rookie and the Chargers' new OC Mike McDaniel arrival is exciting, but Gadsden must share time with other tight ends: David Njoku downfield and blocking ace Charlie Kolar. His opening schedule also has plenty of bad matchups—the Raiders and Bills erased tight ends last year, and Seattle had the NFC's best defense. Even as a TE2, the source prefers players with a cleaner path to targets and immediate production.

NegativeRoleAug 18, 2026Yahoo Fantasy Football

Fantrax ADP of 148th overall (TE16) is roughly 26 picks ahead of FantasyPros consensus ADP of 174th, where Gadsden is essentially not drafted on other sites. His rookie production—49 catches, 664 yards, three touchdowns in 15 games on 69 targets, averaging 13.6 yards per reception and finishing TE20 in fantasy points per game (8.8 PPR)—is legitimate but masks end-of-season decline. The Chargers' offseason moves complicate his outlook: Mike McDaniel's offense could create opportunities for athletic tight ends, but the team also added David Njoku and Charlie Kolar to the position. Gadsden's ceiling is appealing, but he isn't yet a proven high-volume tight end, making the later FantasyPros slot preferable. When Los Angeles rested starters in the first preseason game, Gadsden suited up and played, potentially signaling a backup role.

NegativeValueAug 18, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Ranked TE20 in 2026 Superflex consensus draft rankings with ADP 113 and consensus rank 228.

NegativeProjectionAug 18, 2026FantasyPros Articles

PositiveNewsAug 17, 202632BeatWriters

32BeatWriterson X

Trey to Oronde TD! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Gadsden ran a route on 71 percent of Lance's dropbacks during the first four drives before his night ended. The source notes he continues to slide down the ranks with his ADP dropping as well, and there's not much difference between him and Terrance Ferguson in terms of value.

NegativeValueAug 17, 2026RotoWire NFL Articles

Oronde Gadsden was on the field with backup QB Trey Lance while locked-in starters David Njoku and Charlie Kolar got the day off, raising concerns about his role. Gadsden currently goes as TE20, which the source views as too high given that locked-in starters like Dalton Schultz and TJ Hockenson go behind him.

NegativeValueAug 17, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Oronde Gadsden was on the field with Trey Lance for the Chargers despite David Njoku and Charlie Kolar getting the day off with the rest of the starters; Gadsden currently goes as TE20, which strikes the source as high given that locked-in starters like Dalton Schultz and TJ Hockenson go behind him.

NegativeRoleAug 17, 2026NBC Sports Rotoworld

Gadsden played the first three drives for the Chargers and played well, recording two catches and a couple of decent blocks, showing competence in both receiving and blocking roles.

PositiveUsageAug 17, 2026RotoWire NFL Articles

Gadsden played in the Chargers' preseason game against the Texans while fellow TEs Charlie Kolar and David Njoku rested along with the Chargers' other offensive starters. The source notes this bodes ill for Gadsden's 2026 fantasy value. His FantasyPros Expert Consensus ranking has fallen from TE11 early in the offseason to TE20. The source ranks him TE25 and considers him undraftable in all but the deepest of leagues.

NegativeUsageAug 17, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Wolf Trelles-Heard prefers Oronde Gadsden II over Mark Andrews in the TE14-19 range, citing Gadsden as having more upside than Andrews.

PositiveValueAug 17, 2026FantasyPros Articles

PositiveUsageAug 14, 2026Zain Dhanani

Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, & Tre Harris did not play last night Charlie Kolar & David Njoku did not play Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, & Alec Ingold did not play Oronde Gadsden has to compete with Harris, Kolar, Njoku, & Ingold for snaps/routes - a bad bet

Played with the Trey Lance offense in preseason Week 1 for the Chargers, as the starters were held out.

NegativeUsageAug 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Gadsden II played with the Trey Lance offense for the Chargers in preseason Week 1, while starters were held out.

NegativeRoleAug 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Chargers WR played in preseason Week 1 with the Trey Lance offense in a game where starters were held out.

NegativeUsageAug 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

PositiveNewsAug 14, 2026Jacob Gibbs

Jacob Gibbson X

Percentage of team receiving yards while on the field in 2025: 39% - Dalton Kincaid 31% - George Kittle 31% - Harold Fannin Jr. 30% - Trey McBride 30% - Brock Bowers 28% - Colston Loveland 28% - Tucker Kraft 27% - Gunnar Helm 👀 26% - Oronde Gadsden 26% - Kyle Pitts

Gadsden is listed in the sixth tier as a potential matchup-based streaming option and name to monitor. With the increased usage of two- and three-TE sets in the NFL, this group could play a viable fantasy role at some point this season.

NegativeRoleAug 14, 2026ESPN Fantasy Football

Gadsden is overvalued at ADP 94.7 as TE9 despite finishing his rookie season as TE15 (8.8 PPR per game). He averaged 13.5 fantasy points per game in five contests with six or more targets, but the Chargers signed David Njoku in free agency, drafted Brenen Thompson, and haven't closed the door on a Keenan Allen reunion. While Gadsden should be drafted over Njoku, he shouldn't be picked as anything more than a mid-range TE2.

NegativeValueAug 14, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Ranked TE20 in Superflex consensus rankings with projected fantasy points of 169.7 and ADP of 123; positioned as a late-mid-tier tight end option.

NegativeProjectionAug 14, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught a pass for seven yards in the first quarter and recorded a 14-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter as part of an eight-play, 67-yard drive led by Trey Lance.

PositiveUsageAug 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught a pass for seven yards in the first quarter and later recorded a 14-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter on an eight-play, 67-yard drive led by Trey Lance.

PositiveUsageAug 14, 2026Bolts From The Blue

PositiveNewsAug 14, 2026Zain Dhanani

Kids are in bed - checking box scores and I see Kimani Vidal and Oronde Gadsden have stats while Keaton Mitchell, Charlie Kolar, and David Njoku do not Very interested to look at the player participation tomorrow 👀

PositiveNewsAug 14, 2026Hayden Winks

Hayden Winkson X

Could be something. Could be nothing. Keaton Mitchell rested with the rest of the Chargers starters/key players. Kimani Vidal played. So did Orande Gadsden.

Oronde Gadsden is ranked 167th in ADP with a default ranking of 156.8, showing a 10.2-spot undervaluation where ADP consensus is pricing him lower than the default ranking.

PositiveValueAug 13, 2026RotoWire NFL Articles