Mark Andrews or Oronde Gadsden: Who Should You Start?
2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Start Andrews — the consensus rank and projection edges are too wide to ignore.
Mark Andrews is the higher consensus play (TE15 to TE26) and projects 10.2 to Gadsden's 8.7. No signal favors Gadsden this week. The gap is wide.
Mark Andrews
TE15BALvs DAL
6.48.310.2 Projected Points
Start· medium
Oronde Gadsden
TE26LACvs BUF
5.26.98.7 Projected Points
Sit
Mark Andrews’s market
Oronde Gadsden’s market
Why Mark Andrews
Start· mediumTE1 and red-zone mismatch. Veteran seam-stretcher with strong hands and quarterback rapport.
25% target share and 72% snaps in a 27.0-point implied offense make Andrews a viable TE1 fringe start at TE15 despite a neutral DAL matchup.
- DAL ranks 21 of 32 against TEs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 2-game sample).
- Vegas implies 27.0 team points as 2.5-point favorites.
- Listed TE on the latest depth chart with a 72% snap share.
The call
- Usage is the driver: a 25% target share over 2 games is elite for a tight end, and his 72% snap share locks him into the base role.
- Game environment helps. A 27.0 implied team total with a -2.5 spread points to a competitive, scoring-friendly script with red-zone chances.
- The matchup is neutral at best. DAL ranks 21 of 32 in the DvP composite, but that rests on a 2-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so it shouldn't move the call much either way.
- Risk: the 10.2 projection and TE15 rank put him in streamer territory, and the 2-game usage sample could regress. He still clears a typical replacement TE, and no injury designation removes availability concerns.
Why Oronde Gadsden
SitSecond-year starting TE and primary receiving threat at the position. Big-bodied move tight end with WR-like route running, coming off a productive rookie season.
Sit — bench-tier TE at consensus TE26: BUF is the 11th-toughest matchup vs TEs, 8% target share.
- BUF ranks 11 of 32 against TEs (one of the tougher matchups, 3-game sample).
- Vegas implies 22.8 team points as 3.0-point underdogs.
- Listed TE on the latest depth chart with a 40% snap share.
Latest on Gadsden
Role
Gadsden is the clear-cut starter at tight end in the short term with Kolar and Njoku unavailable.
Yahoo Sports, Chargers.com, ESPN · Sep 24, 2026VideoESPN · Sep 25, 2026
Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.
Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Mark Andrews | Oronde Gadsden |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 6.48.310.2 | 5.26.98.7 |
| Consensus rank | TE15 | TE26 |
| Opponent vs position | DAL · 21 of 322-game sample | BUF · 11 of 323-game sample |
| Receptions | 21 of 32 | 12 of 32 |
| Receiving Yards | 19 of 32 | 9 of 32 |
| Receiving TDs | 26 of 32 | 10 of 32 |
| Targets | 11 of 32 | 16 of 32 |
| Anytime TD | 26 of 32 | 9 of 32 |
| Target share | 25% | 8% |
| Reception share | 26% | 8% |
| Implied total · spread | 27.0-2.5 | 22.8+3.0 |
| Depth chart | TE1 | TE2 |
| Snap share | 72% | 40% |
| Start/Sit record | 1–1 | 1–0 |
Recent form
Mark Andrews — last 2 weeks
| Week 2 | vs NO | 4.97.910.9 |
| Week 1 | vs IND | 4.96.98.9 |
Oronde Gadsden — last 2 weeks
| Week 2 | vs LV | 7.88.89.8 |
| Week 1 | vs ARI | 3.24.25.2 |
Signal breakdown
- 10.2 vs 8.7 projected PPR pointsMark Andrews +
- Rank 15 vs 26Mark Andrews +
- Opponent DvP rank 21 vs 11 (32 = softest)Mark Andrews +
- Implied 27.0 vs 22.8 team pointsMark Andrews +
- No injury designationseven
- 72% vs 40% snap shareMark Andrews +
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