The Chargers will host the Vikings on Thursday night in a matchup between a pair of teams looking to stay in the NFL playoff picture.
I’ve got my eye on a breakout rookie who was one of the darlings of the waiver wire ahead of Week 8.
While the focus of the Chargers’ pass attack has been on the stud wide receiver trio of Keenan Allen, Quinten Johnston and Ladd McConkey, rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II is quietly breaking out as a favorite target of Justin Herbert.
Gadsden has seven catches in each of his last two games, with 17 targets and 232 receiving yards over that stretch.
He’s slowly seen his snap rate rise as the season has gone on, playing in at least 75 percent of the Chargers’ offensive snaps over their past two contests.
The Chargers have proven to be one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league through the first seven weeks, ranking No. 3 behind the Bengals and Titans with a 64.9 percent pass rate.
With star rookie Omarian Hampton sidelined, the Chargers have avoided the run even more than that – last week, Herbert had a ridiculous 55 pass attempts, the third-most of his career.
Jim Harbaugh’s running back room got even more depleted last week, too, with Hassan Haskins going down with a hamstring injury, leaving Kimani Vidal as the starter and practice squad addition Trayveon Williams as the backup.
The pass protection will get a welcome addition as well in left tackle Joe Alt, who is expected to return after missing three games thanks to an ankle injury he suffered in Week 4.
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They’ll face a Vikings pass defense that has been solid over this season, allowing 184 yards through the air per game, the eighth-fewest in the league, but they’ve shown signs of cracks of late.
Over their last three games, the Vikings have yielded 226.7 passing yards, which is smack dab in the middle of the NFL.
Last week, the Eagles and Jalen Hurts – who have been atrocious throwing the ball this season – had a breakout game against the Vikings, going for a season-high 326 passing yards.
In Week 5, Minnesota allowed tight end David Njoku, whose combination of size and downfield playmaking ability is similar to Gadsden’s, to haul in six catches for 67 yards.
With so many mouths to feed in the Chargers’ offense, Vegas oddsmakers still aren’t entirely convinced Gadsden is for real.
The Syracuse product’s receiving yard Over/Under is sitting at just 40.5 at BetMGM Sportsbook, which is a number he’s blown past over the last two weeks.
With his big play ability, Gadsden doesn’t need to be one of the Chargers’ top targets to go over here.
In just five games played – and just two of them with a snap rate higher than 55 percent – Gadsden already has catches for more than 20 yards.
The play: Oronde Gadsden II Over 40.5 receiving yards (-115, BetMGM Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
