Tight end is one of the hardest positions in fill in fantasy football, and Oronde Gadsden might be this year’s out-of-nowhere league-winner. Selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Syracuse product is turning heads after two consecutive strong performances. Is this nothing more than a flash in the pan, or could he develop into a legitimate weapon down the stretch?
Fantasy Football: Is Chargers TE Oronde Gadsden For Real?
Recent Production
The most important thing in fantasy football is making your opportunities count, and Oronde Gadsden has done that over the past two weeks. Starting the season on the bench, the rookie first earned playing time in Week 3 but first made a name for himself in Week 6. Facing off against the Miami Dolphins, Gadsden finished the afternoon with seven receptions for 68 yards on eight targets. He followed this up with a dominant Week 7, recording seven receptions for 164 yards and one touchdown on nine targets.
This is obviously fantastic, but can he maintain this high level of play? Anyone who remembers Travis Fulgham knows that Day 3 picks can have random stretches of elite play before crashing back to Earth. While there’s no way to definitively know what will come of Oronde Gadsden, the early signs suggest he can be a good fantasy football weapon.
Projecting the Future
The most important thing you can do in situations like this is listen to the coaches. While Gadsden has only had two dominant weeks of on-field play, head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers organization have been singing his praises throughout the offseason and into the regular season. He made strides as a blocker and Los Angeles clearly feels comfortable having him as a three-down weapon.
Everything the #Chargers have said about Oronde Gadsden since drafting him:
GM JOE HORTIZ (April 26):
I think Oronde Gadsden will give us a great vertical presence in the middle of the field. He’s got speed and the ability to separate versus man coverage.
HC JIM HARBAUGH (May… pic.twitter.com/hKQMY7JwO8
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) October 20, 2025
Additionally, Oronde Gadsden used to play wide receiver, which suggests he could be a legitimate fantasy football weapon for years to come. Tight ends need to block to get on the field, but great blockers sometimes lose target opportunities because coaches prefer to keep them in the trenches. Gadsden’s blocking isn’t bad enough to keep him off the field, but nobody’s confusing him with Joe Alt. From a purely fantasy football lens, this is the type of tight end you can have.
Last, but certainly not least, the Chargers have no better options. Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin are both well past their prime, and Gadsden already looks like the best option on the field. While the rookie needed an injury to make his way onto the field, he’s clearly climbed up the depth chart and emerged as a key part of this passing attack.
Given the lack of receiving tight ends in the league, you might as well pick up Oronde Gadsden and see if he can be a regular part of your fantasy football lineup. In a best-case scenario, you just landed a league-winning force at a historically unreliable position. If he can’t keep it up, he won’t be much worse than whoever you normally stream at the position.
Main Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – Imagn Images