Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II was quite active during the first half of Thursday night’s home game against the Minnesota Vikings. Gadsden II caught a touchdown pass from Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to give Los Angeles a 7-0 lead after one quarter.
In the first quarter alone, Gadsden II caught four passes for 37 yards and that one TD. His activity on the field probably makes him a go-to player for fantasy football players. Well, that’s probably true for most of them — except for his own father.
Why Won’t Chargers’ Oronde Gadsden II’s Father Draft Him?
Gadsden II posted 29.4 fantasy points in Week 7, which would impress a lot of people. His father, former NFL wide receiver Oronde Gadsden, wasn’t going to have his son on his team. The older Gadsden makes a weekly appearance on Miami radio station 104.3 WQAM, where he talks about his own fantasy football management.
“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?'” Gadsden said during a spot on “Hoch, Crowder and Solana” on WQAM this week.
After 164 yards and a TD last week, rookie Oronde Gadsden is back in the end zone for the @Chargers!
MINvsLAC on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/RAZCq5UpeZ— NFL (@NFL) October 24, 2025
Gadsden is not moved to have his own son on his team at all.
“We playing fantasy football now … he’s going to stay on the bench,” Gadsden said. “Nobody else got him, we cool with it, I’m cool. He gon’ ride the pine!”
According to ESPN Fantasy data, Gadsden II is the most-added player by fantasy players. In fact, Gadsden II’s roster percentage has surged from 2.4% to 53.4%.
After scoring his touchdown, Gadsden II was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting a Vikings player in the end zone. Gadsden II celebrated with teammate Ladd McConkey at SoFi Stadium but went a little overboard.
Last week, Gadsden II had 164 yards receiving and a touchdown. According to the PFSN NFL TE Impact metrics, Gadsden II has an 81.4 TE Impact Score entering Thursday night’s game and grades out at a B-.
If Gadsden II keeps putting up solid numbers against the Vikings on Thursday night, his old man might have to reconsider keeping his son on the pine when looking ahead to next week. Look for Gadsden II to continue having an impact with Herbert targeting the talented young tight end downfield.
