Oronde Gadsden II Leads a Group of Late-Round Tight End Sleepers
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Tight end is one of the hardest position to nail in Fantasy Football, especially when the big names of Trey McBride and Brock Bowers fly off the draft board in the early rounds.
These late-round sleepers can help Fantasy players, who miss out on the big names early on.
Oronde Gadsden II
Gadsden II (TE 16, 139 ADP PPR leagues) displayed flashes of a top-Fantasy tight end in his rookie season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The rookie showcased his ceiling in a three-week stretch as the Syracuse product averaged 20.0 FPPG in PPR leagues, including a 29.4 points performance against the Indianapolis Colts in week 7.
The three week stretch from weeks 6-8 shows what Gadsden is capable of, particularly with a new play caller who has a history with strong tight end Fantasy production.
New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel produced strong tight end Fantasy scoring during his tenure as Miami Dolphins head coach. A particular standout was Jonnu Smith, who produced a career-high 13.1 FPPG in PPR leagues in his lone season under McDaniel, good for fourth-best amongst tight ends in 2024.
Gadsden II slots in for a Smith-esque role this upcoming season as there are question marks surrounding other Chargers’ pass catchers, particularly Ladd McConkey, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Brenton Strange
Fantasy players may be worried about Strange (TE 19, 149 ADP PPR leagues) entering the 2026 season as the Jacksonville Jaguars spent two draft picks this offseason on tight ends.
Despite the new influx of talent in the tight-ends room, Strange is still in a position to build off a career-year.
Strange offers more receiving upside compared to Jags’ second-round Nate Boerkircher. The third tight end selected in the 2026 NFL draft offers more of a blocking profile as he tallied 417 receiving yards in his five-year career at Nebraska and Texas A&M.
With Strange being the clear veteran receiving presence and quarterback Trevor Lawrence distributing to all pass-catchers, the former Nittany Lion is in a position to have another Fantasy career season.
Greg Dulcich
Dulcich (TE 27, 196 ADP PPR leagues) came into the league as a sneaky Fantasy option after being drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos.
Injuries derailed Dulcich’s beginning of his career as he appeared in 26 games over four seasons.
Last season, Dulcich appeared in 10 games, which ties for most since his rookie campaign in 2022. Even in the limited action and a backup role behind Darren Waller, Dulcich produced 335 receiving yards.
Dulcich’s production from last season isn’t the reason Fantasy players should look his way, it’s the situation Dulcich will find himself in.
Looking forward to 2026, Dulcich is the only tight end from the 2025 roster to return to the Dolphins. Of the three tight ends behind Dulcich on the depth chart, Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore are rookies and Ben Sims is a four-year veteran with 30 career receiving yards.
If injuries aren’t in the way for Dulcich, he has full opportunity to seize the snap share in a young tight end room.
Beyond the tight end group, Dulcich has a chance to become the leading pass catcher as the wide receiving room is one of the weaker groups in the NFL.
Malik Washington and Jalen Tolbert are slated to lead the wide receivers room, which leaves Dulcich the opening to lead the Dolphins as the main target.
Even if Dulcich is behind the likes of Washington and Tolbert, the Dolphins are projected to be behind in most games. The negative game script will lead to more targets for Dulcich in garbage time as the Dolphins will have to pass more.
If Dulcich can stay healthy, a weak pass-catchers group and negative game scripts will lead to a strong Fantasy season, a factor for Fantasy players in deeper leagues to bookmark.
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