Chigoziem Okonkwo start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

Tennessee Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo is expected to have a big season in 2023. Many viewed him as one of the bigger steals in the 2022 NFL Draft. With as strong as he is, Okonkwo’s speed is impressive. The Titans have produced a number of tight ends through the years and he seems to be the next one. Here’s a look at Okonkwo’s value in their Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Fantasy Football analysis: Titans TE Chigoziem Okonkwo

In the 2022 season, Okonkwo had 32 receptions for 450 yards and three touchdowns. He started in only eight games as they had him behind Austin Hooper and Geoff Swaim to start the year. This season, he is No. 1 on the depth chart and there’s nobody even close to him in the tight end room in terms of role in the passing game. Ryan Tannehill will get him the ball a good amount as opposing secondaries will be all out to stop DeAndre Hopkins.

Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?

Okonkwo should start in PPR leagues.

For 8-10 team leagues, he obviously shouldn’t start over guys like Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson, George Kittle, Darren Waller, and a few others. However, some teams decided to wait on a tight end, and he was available longer than he should’ve been in fantasy drafts. I think he will catch the league by surprise this season and play a major role in this offense. Even if Tannehill is benched at some point, young quarterbacks love getting tight ends the ball.

Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?

Okonkwo should start in standard leagues.

PPR might not be as good as standard because I’m not sure that he’s going to be bringing in eight receptions like some other TE1s. However, the Titans will get him the ball on screens and with a ton of open space in front of him because of his run-after-catch ability. Since his time in college, he’s been able to turn short gains into big plays and even touchdowns. I would expect Okonkwo to have a long catch in Week 1.

Player(s) you would start ahead of Okonkwo

Okonkwo is listed as the 115th FLEX option on Fantasypros. I don't like Okonkwo over any WR/RB around him. But two tight ends I would consider are Sam Laporta and Dalton Schultz. Laporta looks like he’ll be the next star tight end to come out of Iowa and I expect him to have a big role early in the year, especially with Jameson Williams out the first six games. Schultz showed well with the Cowboys and has a rookie quarterback in C.J. Stroud, so Schultz will probably have a ton of targets early in the year.