Who Should I Start? Shane Zylstra or Oronde Gadsden

Sunday, September 14, 2:26 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Shane Zylstra (ankle) has been downgraded to out for the remainder of his team's Week 2 contest against the Chicago Bears. Zylstra is the Lions' third-string tight end behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright. His absence may mean a slight uptick in snaps for the remainder of Week 2 for LaPorta.

Wednesday, January 7, 10:11 PM

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden has been inconsistent down the stretch, but he still exceeded expectations as a fifth-round rookie. Gadsden brought in 49 catches (69 targets) for 664 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. The Syracuse product had a historic stretch early in the season once he earned a full-time role in Week 6, posting his most receiving yards ever by a rookie tight end over a four-game span. He also became the first rookie tight end with four straight games of 65 or more receiving yards. Gadsden's production faded down the stretch, as he averaged just two catches (3.3 targets) for 26.2 yards per game with one touchdown over the final six weeks. Gadsden is a risky option for Sunday night's Wild-Card game against the New England Patriots, with New England being a slightly favorable matchup for opposing tight ends, allowing the 11th-most catches per game (5.7) and the 12th-most yards (57.1).