Who Should I Start? John Stephens Jr. or Oronde Gadsden

Thursday, October 24, 2:50 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end John Stephens Jr. (knee) will miss the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL during Wednesday's practice, according to NFL.com. The second-year undrafted free agent out of Louisiana has been with Dallas since the 2023 offseason but has not logged any stats. This injury is not consequential for fantasy football, but it depletes depth behind tight ends Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker.

Saturday, December 6, 4:33 PM

Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden faces a tough Week 14 challenge after the passing offense stalled following Justin Herbert's hand injury, leading to just one catch for 27 yards on two targets last week. Crucially, Gadsden failed to see a red-zone target for the second consecutive game after seeing 10 in the previous five. The matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles is extremely challenging, as their defense ranks among the top three against tight ends, allowing only three touchdowns all season and just nine PPR points per game to the position. RotoBaller ranks Gadsden as TE14 this week, especially with Justin Herbert (hand) listed as questionable. While the rookie has shown promise, the combination of the restructured, short-area passing offense and one of the league's toughest tight end defenses means Gadsden should be considered a high-end TE2 this week.