After getting off to their first 3-0 start in more than two decades, the Los Angeles Chargers have crumbled over their last four games, losing three of them and only narrowly beating the woeful Miami Dolphins. They’re dealing with a major injury crisis at running back, following long-term injuries to both Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton and a hamstring injury that will keep Hassan Haskins out for tonight’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
With no reliable running back besides Kimani Vidal, who struggled in Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts to the tune of nine catches and 20 yards, I’d expect Los Angeles to operate a pass-heavy scheme tonight. Against the Colts, Justin Herbert threw 55 passes, the fifth-highest total of his career, and three different Chargers amassed more than 65 yards. Wideouts Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen had 67 and 119 yards, respectively, and tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught nine of his seven targets for 164 yards and a score. It was the fifth-round rookie’s second straight game with seven catches, following a 67-yard performance against his father’s former team, Miami.
Gadsden’s stellar play has made him the clear top dog ing a muddled tight end room. After he produced five catches and 46 yards in Week 1 on just 22 snaps, his snap share has increased every subsequent week, and he has played at least 75% of the team’s offensive snaps in each of the past two weeks, relegating Will Dissly to special teams duty. Despite only scoring once, he’s made himself one of Herbert’s favorite targets in the red zone, garnering seven targets within the opponent’s 20, tied with Quentin Johnston for third-most on the team. He’s also been elite after the catch, ranking sixth in yards above expectation after the catch per reception, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Tonight’s matchup is a pretty neutral one: while the Vikings have conceded the sixth-fewest yards to tight ends, they’ve also allowed three touchdowns, so they rank just 12th in fantasy points per game allowed to the position. Opposing quarterbacks have also completed 75.6% of their passes when throwing to tight ends against Minnesota, so it’s also more a function of volume than efficiency. Gadsden might have some trouble on routes up the middle, given that safeties Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson are both elite coverage defenders, but he is particularly strong on short and intermediate routes along the right sideline, where he’ll likely have more reps against the lesser of the Vikings’ two outside corners, Byron Murphy Jr.
Start or Sit: Start Oronde Gadsden II.
