Fantasy Football Player Notes

I'll be avoiding Oronde Gadsden in drafts this season. Yes, in Weeks 6-18 last year, he had his moments with five TE1 finishes in weekly scoring, but he was also only the TE17 in fantasy points per game. During that sample of games, among 50 qualifying tight ends, he was 36th in target per route run rate, 15th in yards per route run, 22nd in first-read share, and 29th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). After Week 15, he failed to surpass a 70% route share in any game. All of these are concerning red flags before we even get to the Bolts' additions of Charlie Kolar and David Njoku this offseason. Gadsden looks like he's locked in a tight end committee for 2026, which is something I don't have any interest in dealing with for fantasy purposes.

Charlie Kolar could lead the Bolts in snaps at the tight end position, and I wouldn't be surprised this season. Last year, he had very limited playing time behind Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, but he made the most of his opportunities when on the field. He is arguably the best run blocker that the Bolts have on the roster at tight end after finishing with a 71.5 run-blocking grade last season (per PFF). Among 81 qualifying tight ends, he only had a 93-route sample (18.5% route share), but he ranked 28th in yards per route run and 14th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Kolar is a decent late flier in tight end premium formats.