A former Syracuse football star is making waves in the NFL, but he’s still not getting on his dad’s fantasy team.
Former NFL wide receiver Oronde Gadsden told Miami sports radio station 1043 WQAM that he has benched his son, former SU standout Oronde Gadsden II, in fantasy football. And despite junior scoring a touchdown on seven catches for 164 yards in his last game, dad’s still keeping him on the bench.
“It’s the second week in a row I’ve lost by under 10 points, and in my league they were like, ‘What dad leaves his son on the bench?’” the elder Gadsden told WQAM.
So maybe Gadsden’s not doing great in his fantasy football league, but it could be good luck (or a motivational tool) for Gadsden II.
“We playing fantasy football now ... he’s going to stay on the bench,” Gadsden said. “He gon’ ride the pine!”
According to ESPN, Gadsden II became just the fourth rookie tight end in the Super Bowl era to record more than 150 receiving yards in a game when his Los Angeles Chargers lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 38-24, on Sunday. He scored 29.4 fantasy points for Week 7 and became the most added player in ESPN Fantasy this week, surging from 2.4% to 53.4% of rosters.
Gadsden II was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after four years at Syracuse University, recording 900-yard seasons at both wide receiver and tight end and averaging 6.5 touchdowns in two seasons. He combined for 13 touchdowns in those two seasons and is the first offensive skill-position player drafted out of SU since the Orange joined the ACC in 2013.
Gadsden II has now caught 22 passes for 308 total yards during his first season in the NFL, quickly becoming a preferred target for L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert. His 164 receiving yards Sunday also broke a team record for a rookie tight end, surpassing Hall of Fame TE Antonio Gates’ previous feat of 117 yards in 2003.
The senior Gadsden spent six seasons in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, in addition to stints with the Arena Football League and the World League of American Football. Gadsden was part of the Cowboys team that won Super Bowl XXX in 1996.
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