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    McDaniels plans on utilizing Gadsden’s skills

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    Chargers OC Mike McDaniel said the team plans on utilizing TE Oronde Gadsden’s skillset.

    McDaniel was asked why Gadsden only played eight snaps in Week 1. The Chargers’ offensive coordinator said he expected Gadsden to get more involved last week, but the game “didn’t play out” that way. McDaniel closed by saying he expects Gadsden “to be more involved outside of an unforeseen situation where the game and the parameters with which you’re playing change — and therein lies the problem. Gadsden is not a full-time player. Projecting his weekly usage will be challenging. He is currently not worth starting in 12-team leagues, though that could change if McDaniel decides to feature him.
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  • LAC Tight End #88
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    Kolar’s surgery earlier this week reportedly changed his prognosis. Kolar was expected to land on short-term injured reserve and miss at least four games. Apparently, the team expects him back sooner than that. Backup TE Oronde Gadsden is still set to start, given Kolar and TE David Njoku’s (knee) injuries, but Gadsden’s audition window has evidently shrunk. He remains a worthwhile add and can be started by TE-needy fantasy managers in what should be a productive game environment against the Bills this week.
  • David Njoku left the game early with a knee injury and Charlie Kolar followed him to the locker room much later because of a forearm injury. As a result, Gadsden’s route rate jumped from 14 percent in Week 1 to 48 percent today. He still managed just two catches, but Gadsden at least found the end zone for the first time this year. The Chargers offense has looked defunct through two weeks, so even a full-time role for Gadsden could result in middling fantasy numbers. Still, he is worth a look off the waiver wire for teams in need of tight end production.
  • Gadsden hardly saw the field against Arizona. He ran just seven pass routes while David Njoku logged 17 routes and caught all five of his targets. Gadsden is clearly an afterthought in the Chargers passing offense for now. He should remain on waiver wires ahead of the Bolts’ Week 2 game against the Raiders.
  • LAC Tight End #88
    Way back in late May, the Athletic’s Daniel Popper suggested Kolar, who signed a three-year, $24.3 million contract with the Bolts this spring, would enter the season as LA’s top tight end “because of his complete skill set.” Week 1 usage will tell us a lot about how offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will use his tight ends, but for now it seems Kolar will lead the group in Week 1 against the Cardinals. David Njoku and Oronde Gadsden II, however, could see more pass game involvement depending on how many routes they run in a given week, and whether the Chargers go run-heavy against an opponent. None of the Chargers’ tight ends are particularly appealing fantasy plays for Week 1.
  • The second-year incumbent tight end is seemingly behind the Chargers’ free agent signee veteran TEs Charlie Kolar and David Njoku. Neither Kolar nor Njoku suited up this evening. Gadsden can still be viewed as a TE2/3 in best ball formats, but his current role could be undesirable for re-draft purposes.
  • Rhim caveats the thought by adding that increased tight end usage “is not a guarantee.” The key takeaway for second-year TE Oronde Gadsden is that Rhim thinks recent free agent signee, TE David Njoku, could take on the TE1 role, noting Njoku possesses “valuable experience that a guy like Gadsden can learn from.” That said, in a piece where Rhim highlighted the tight end position’s importance in the new scheme, he referenced only Gadsden and Njoku, seemingly indicating this is a two-player race for the TE1 job. Njoku’s play has declined recently, as has his health. Gadsden might currently be the TE2, but we have to get through spring and summer practices first.
  • LAC Tight End #85
    A week after visiting with the Chargers, Njoku is now set to join them on a deal that is worth up to $8 million, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The 29-year-old tight end had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2025, as injuries and the emergence of rookie Harold Fannin resulted in Njoku catching just 33 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. Injuries have slowed Njoku each of the last two seasons. He’s appeared in just 23 of a possible 34 regular-season games over that span and has averaged 8.9 YPR or fewer in both seasons. However, if he can stay healthy, he should provide another reliable weapon for Justin Herbert in the passing game. His arrival could have a negative impact on Oronde Gadsden, but given both tight ends’ ability to line up both in-line and in the slot, it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers ran more two-tight-end sets
  • FA Tight End
    Delp last week made pre-draft visits with the Vikings, Patriots, and Ravens. Delp at Georgia was a little-used tight end who totaled 65 receptions for 793 yards and seven touchdowns over his final three collegiate seasons. He was targeted on a meager 13 percent of his pass routes over those three years. Delp, 23, profiles as a rotational tight end to start his NFL career, though he has some upside if he lands in the right spot. In LA he would compete with Oronde Gadsden II for tight end snaps and routes, and in Tampa he would compete with Cade Otton, who recently re-signed with the Bucs.
  • The Chargers have used free agency to stockpile players custom made for McDaniel’s Shanahan-style offense, including fullback Alex Ingold and tight end Charlie Kolar. Popper describes Kolar as “an elite run blocker who is an ideal fit in McDaniel’s movement offense” who “will allow Oronde Gadsden to play in a role that maximizes the 2025 fifth-round pick’s receiving skill set.” Gadsden was a welcome surprise in fantasy circles last season, totaling 664 yards and three touchdowns on 49 receptions. He ranked 14th among 50 qualifying tight ends in yards per route run, in line with Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin. If he runs 60 or 70 percent of the Chargers’ routes in 2026, Gadsden could be a tight end to target late in drafts.
  • Gadsden was unable to deliver a high-end performance against the Patriots, but he continued to show off his ability to get open on in-breaking routes. The talent should serve him well in his second NFL season next year. The fifth-round rookie caught 49-of-68 targets for 664 yards and three touchdowns this season, far surpassing expectations given his draft capital. A knee injury suffered by veteran TE Tyler Conklin allowed Gadsden to remain active on game day in Week 3. He seized the opportunity, catching 5-of-6 targets for 46 yards in his first NFL game. Gadsden finished as the half-PPR TE16 this year as the Chargers spread the ball around down the stretch. Gadsden has a wide range of outcomes in 2026, but will probably be drafted as a low-end TE1 due to his upside.

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    49ers placed WR Demarcus Robinson (ankle) on injured reserve.

    The high-ankle injury will now cost the veteran receiver a minimum of four games, thinning an already reeling group of pass-catchers in San Francisco. Jacob Cowing is technically the next man up, although the offense appears more likely to concentrate on the remaining veterans.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #6
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    Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) practiced in full Saturday and will play in Week 3 against the Bears.

    Smith’s week of practiced steadily increased from a limited showing to full-go, paving the way for him to operate as the clear-cut top option through the air against a porous Bears secondary. Fantasy managers can start him with confidence is an upside WR2 in Week 3.
  • PHI Running Back #26
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    Eagles RB Saquon Barkley (stinger) was removed from the injury report Saturday and will play in Week 3 against the Bears.

    Barkley briefly left the team’s Week 2 win with a stinger but would return in the second half to finish the game. He’ll be a back-end RB1 against the Bears through clear offensive struggles from the Eagles.
  • DEN Running Back #20
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    Broncos placed RB Jonah Coleman (ankle) on injured reserve.

    That escalated quickly. Coleman was potentially in line to serve as the starter in Week 3 with both J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey nursing various injuries. Coleman missed practice throughout the week with an ankle injury that wasn’t revealed until Wednesday’s practice report, with the injury now taking the next four games, at minimum, from the talented rookie. Both Harvey and Dobbins have been cleared to play in Week 3, forming a backfield tandem in the wake of Coleman’s injury.
  • CHI Quarterback #18
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    Bears QB Caleb Williams (hamstring) was ruled out for Week 3 against the Eagles.

    Williams is likely looking at a multi-week absence after injuring his hamstring in Week 2. Tyson Bagent is in the final stages of the concussion protocol after practicing in full Saturday but will need to be cleared by an independent neurologist Sunday to suit up on Monday Night Football against the Eagles. Bagent is officially listed as questionable.
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    Cowboys placed S P.J. Locke (plantar fascia) on injured reserve.

    The team had already ruled him out for multiple weeks and will now make the administrative move of sending him to injured reserve. He will first be eligible to return for Week 7.
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    Packers signed G Laken Tomlinson, formerly of the Texans.

    The veteran guard brings significant experience to a Packers team ranked at the bottom of the league in offensive line metrics, including 162 career starts. It’s a no-risk signing in which things could quite literally not get any worse in Green Bay.
  • CHI Quarterback #17
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    Bears HC Ben Johnson told reporters QB Tyson Bagent will practice Saturday.

    With Caleb Williams (hamstring) not expected to play in Week 3’s Monday Night Football showdown against the Eagles, Bagent’s status holds extra weight this week. He missed practice through Friday with a concussion, but has since been cleared to resume practice. He will still need to remain asymptomatic for two consecutive days to fully clear protocol. Bagent would only be a desperation play in super-flex leagues against the Eagles.
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    Lions S Kerby Joseph (knee) is hopeful he’ll be available later this season, reports NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.

    Lions HC Dan Campbell didn’t sound optimistic about the prospects of Joseph, who is dealing with a potentially career-threatening knee cartilage issue, helping the Lions this year. In two separate media appearances in the last week, Campbell said that there wasn’t anything he could say about Joseph that would make anyone “feel good.” Pelissero reported Saturday morning that Joseph, who missed all of training camp and hasn’t played since last year’s Week 6 loss to the Chiefs, is hopeful he’ll be available to help the Lions down the stretch. While that may be the case, whether Joseph is able to return to play this year remains an open question. Without Joseph and S Brian Branch (Achilles), the Lions are severely shorthanded in the backend heading into Week 3’s home matchup against the Jets.
  • NYG General Manager
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    The Giants could trade for a QB in the wake of Jaxson Dart’s injury by Monday, reports NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.

    According to Pelissero, Giants GM Joe Schoen is “working the phones” and a trade could be done as soon as Monday. The Giants gave Dart’s backup Jameis Winston a two-year contract extension just before the start of the regular season. While the Giants are looking to add to their quarterback depth, it seems unlikely that whoever they acquire at this point would be able to unseat Winston as the starter immediately. New York takes on Tennessee in Week 3 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.