Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire Debate: Kenyon Sadiq vs. Mike Gesicki

Kenyon Sadiq exploded onto the scene in Week 3, scoring a magnificent touchdown early in the game. Mike Gesicki found the end zone for one of Joe Burrow's three passing touchdowns. Both tight ends have become targets on the Week 4 waiver wire. But you can only buy one. Who shall it be?

The Case of Kenyon Sadiq

Kenyon Sadiq's FIRST career TD 👏@NYJvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Hi0wg1aL4R
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

In Week 3, the Jets were spread thin at pass-catcher. Adonai Mitchell was out, and the team lacked any other wide receiver who was on the 53-man roster the week prior. In such a case, Sadiq became the No. 2 pass-catcher on the team.

Sadiq ended the day with 8 targets, 7 receptions, 105 yards, and 1 touchdown. The first three of those statistics ranked second on the team, second only to Garrett Wilson.

The rookie is nowhere near his final form. Yet, he ranks 8th in PFF Tight End Grade among the 32 qualified players. At the position, Sadiq ranks 5th in Passer Rating when Targeted, 6th in Yards After Reception, and 8th in Receiving Yards.

As good as Sadiq's Week 3 was, we cannot overestimate his projections in the weeks to come. Sadiq ran 18 fewer routes than Garrett Wilson and 17 fewer than Isaiah Williams on Sunday. Though an increase is to be expected, he should not be able to get much closer to his cohorts in the short term. Especially once Mason Taylor returns from injury, the ceiling is mildly limited.

The realistic yard share projection for Sadiq will range from 15% to 20%. Of course, he has tremendous upside given his athleticism. That cannot be banked on, as there is always risk to the reward. Sadiq could have weeks where he falls flat in tough matchups against Mitchell and Omar Cooper Jr., and weeks where he comes back as well.

The Case of Mike Gesicki

Joe Burrow finds a WIDE OPEN Mike Gesicki for the TD 🏈@CINvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6uQMynVQ8n
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

Gesicki had a finite Week 3 of football. He had just 3 targets, but Gesicki caught all of them for 37 yards and a touchdown. This season, Gesicki has 10 targets for 8 receptions. More bizarre is that Gesicki had zero targets and zero catches in Week 2, despite playing.

I would, however, exercise some caution about overhyping Gesicki. The Bengals were without WR3 Andre Iosivas in Week 3. That means something, even if minimal, for Gesicki's role.

Gesicki ran more routes (23) in Week 3 than in Weeks 1 and 2, when he averaged 18.5 routes per week. The route number itself is quite low for a tight end. TE1s in fantasy football generally will run anywhere from 25 to 40 routes per game.

My weekly projections have Gesicki at roughly a 15% of the Bengals passing offense. He is, however, below average in yards per reception, at 10.5 yards. I do not view Gesicki as a weekly starter. Rather, he is a placeholder on the bench, worth a few points in a tight spot.

Waiver Wire Debate: Kenyon Sadiq vs. Mike Gesicki

Both of these tight ends lack a high-volume role at this very moment. In that case, fantasy managers must favor upside. Who has it? Sadiq, by a long shot.

Sadiq is the 16th overall draft pick. His scouting report raves about the player's athleticism. Sadiq put that on display with one of the best touchdown weeks against the Detroit Lions.

It is much more likely that Sadiq ends up with over 20% of his passing offense. He is more likely to produce an explosive play on a weekly basis. Sadiq may even dip into the role of being the Jets' No. 2 pass-catcher at some point. It was a good week for Gesicki, but I desire little of his stock.

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