Who Should I Start? Blake Whiteheart or Oronde Gadsden

Monday, April 7, 7:38 PM

Exclusive-rights free-agent tight end Blake Whiteheart signed his tender offer from the Cleveland Browns on Monday and will officially return to the team in 2025. Whiteheart will head into his second season in Cleveland after catching six of nine targets for 51 yards and one touchdown in 11 games (two starts) in 2024. The 25-year-old once again won't be anywhere near the fantasy radar as he provides depth at the position for the Browns behind starter David Njoku. He went undrafted out of Wake Forest and began his NFL career in 2023 with the Arizona Cardinals, but he didn't receive a single target in two games played that year. In addition to Njoku and Whiteheart, the Browns also have Brenden Bates and Tre'McKitty on the TE depth chart this offseason.

Wednesday, October 22, 11:56 PM

Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden delivered a standout performance in the team's Week 7 loss, with seven catches for 164 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, earning the TE1 spot for the week. Gadsden recorded the most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in a game since 1985 and saw a season-high in snap share, route rate, and targets. While repeating his career day may be difficult, Gadsden has clearly secured an important role in this pass-heavy offense. The blitz-heavy Minnesota Vikings might favor Gadsden on Thursday, as short-to-intermediate targets will become key check-down options against linebackers in man coverage. RotoBaller projects Gadsden as TE9. With six teams on bye, Gadsden's usage makes him a solid mid-range TE1 or streaming option this week.