Darren Waller or Oronde Gadsden: Who Should You Start?

Two TE26s, Same Shrug: Waller's Steady Role vs Gadsden's Boom-or-Bust Game Script

Neither Waller nor Gadsden is a confident lineup piece, and the numbers don't break the tie — they just trade one risk for another. Waller's offense projects for fewer points, but he actually commands the larger slice of his team's passing work, and Chicago's middling defense gives him a calmer floor than Gadsden's. Gadsden plays in a much bigger offensive environment and sees the field more often, and Arizona's defense is one of the softer matchups a tight end can draw this month, but none of that has translated into target volume for him, which is exactly why the board has him projected below his own consensus rank. The real question isn't which team scores more — it's whether Gadsden's offense ever looks his way when it counts.

What flips it: A camp report signaling Waller's role expanding in Carolina's offense.

Sources: ESPN · Aug 26, 2026

AI editor

In standard scoring this flips to Gadsden.

Head-to-head stats

Signal breakdown

• 7.1 vs 4.8 projected PPR pointsDarren Waller +
• Rank 26 vs 26even
• Opponent DvP rank 13 vs 27 (32 = softest)even
• Implied 21.0 vs 28.5 team pointsOronde Gadsden +
• No injury designationseven
• 47% vs 63% snap shareOronde Gadsden +

Compare different players

Week 1244 players

ALLRBWRTEQBKD/STFLEX

Player A

TE · Darren Waller

vs

Player B

TE · Oronde Gadsden

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