Fantasy Football Week 16 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Theo Johnson vs Oronde Gadsden II
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It is very possible that you have survived this far with questions at the Tight End position. There has been a tremendous amount of depth at this position in Fantasy Football. You may have streamed guys like Theo Johnson and Oronde Gadsden II and made it this far. High-upside is what we usually shoot for, and this is what we will measure this week. Is Johnson, or Gadsden II a better start in Week 16 Fantasy Football?
The Case for Theo Johnson
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 16 Ranking: TE17
Theo Johnson is currently pacing to be part of a legit crew of 2nd Year TEs: pic.twitter.com/yc1W5NW9Zf
— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) December 10, 2025
Johnson has played all 14 Games for the Giants this season. He has taken advantage from the Malik Nabers injury and put himself into a role as the #2 pass-catcher in this current offense. Johnson had 70 Targets (18% Target Share), 45 Receptions, 528 Yards, and 5 Touchdowns. Johnson is the TE14 in Fantasy Football.
He is a nice change of pace at Tight End where Johnson has both good volume, and touchdown upside. Neither is dominant, but both are good. In Week 16, the Giants will face the Vikings.
The Vikings are 14th versus the Tight End. They are purely mediocre, not bad, not great, just average. This makes Johnson a very average play, standing as a fringe start-able option. He is more safe than high-upside, but Johnson does have decent upside. It is more important to see your other options in comparison to Johnson.
The Case for Oronde Gadsden II
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 16 Ranking: TE16
Oronde Gadsden II now holds the records for most receptions (43) and yards (602) by a Chargers rookie tight end in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/cr4GvJEo67
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) December 15, 2025
Gadsden II has played 12 Games for the Chargers this season. He has been up and down, but he has settled out to an average of recent. Gadsden II has 59 Targets (14% Target Share), 43 Receptions, 602 Yards, and 2 Touchdowns. He is the TE18 in Points per Game.
The Chargers will be taking on the Cowboys in Week 16. This should favor them, as the Cowboys are quite bad defensively. Against the Tight End, the Cowboys show their strong suit. They are 15th versus the position. Nonetheless, it is not dominant. Gadsden is in an average matchup.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Theo Johnson vs Oronde Gadsden II
This is a matter of volume, matchup, and trustworthiness. Gadsden II popped back into nice form in his last game, going for (62) yards. However, his volume still lies below that of Johnson. Gadsden will range on a 15-20% Target Share. Johnson lingers on exceeding 20%. They are close, but Johnson has the slight edge.
In the Red Zone, Johnson has (13) Targets, or a 21% Target Share. Gadsden has a (12) Targets, but on a 23% Target Share. Their volume is very similar.
The last factor we can explore to trump one over the other is going to be game script. The Giants are (3.0) point underdogs in their game. This suggest a fair-weathered script, with potential for the Giants to go pass heavy.
The Chargers are (2.5) point underdogs, so they maintain a similar game script projection to the Giants.
This is as close as it gets. Ultimately, I trust the Chargers more than I trust the Giants. I would rather side with the better offense, but no player is a bad play.
Start Oronde Gadsden II for very slightly better upside on a better team.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.