As usual, the tight end position is thin at the back. A few big names have dominated at the top of the position, but the fall-off is real. Bye weeks and injuries have only added to the struggle in the middle of the season. If you’re facing a bye week, an injury, or a plain old-fashioned dud of a tight end, it’s time to consider your waiver wire options. Is Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo a fantasy streaming option for Week 10? Let’s dig into the numbers.
Year-to-Date Production
This has been a strange first season for Chig in Washington. After posting a career-high 560 receiving yards last year with the Titans, expectations were that he’d take another step with Jayden Daniels and a remade Commanders pass-catching group. But the football gods got in the way. After a lackluster debut in Week 1, injury forced Okonkwo out of the lineup for Weeks 2 and 3. When Chig returned in Week 4, Jayden Daniels was sidelined, and he struggled with Marcus Mariota under center.
Since Daniels returned in Week 5, things have been different. Okonkwo scored double-digit PPR points in Weeks 5 and 6 heading into the bye week. He struggled again against Philly after the bye, but got back on track on Sunday against the Rams, catching six passes for 57 yards.
The change in volume is what stands out. In Okonkwo’s first game of the year, he had a 56% snap rate and three targets. He followed that up in the next game with a 58% snap rate and four targets. When Daniels returned to the lineup, Okonkwo started getting volume and hasn’t looked back. His snap rate has been over 70% in all four games, with 6+ targets and 4+ catches in three of those games.
Things can change in a flash, but for now, it seems that the Daniels-Okonkwo pairing is here to stay. The receiver room isn’t getting help anytime soon with Terry McLaurin sidelined, leaving Chig and Stefon Diggs as the top passing game options. Will that be good enough for a streaming start in Week 10?
Week 10 Outlook
Here’s one big problem for Chig and the Commanders: Arvell Reese. The rookie linebacker is all over the field every single Sunday, and will be a big problem for the entire Washington offense. He should see a lot of coverage time around Okonkwo and will deliver punishing tackles in the seams and flats. It’s no wonder that the Giants have been a top-ten defense against opposing tight ends when they have this Tasmanian devil flying around.
So, what wins out here? Okonkwo’s skill and passing game volume, or the difficulty of his matchup?
Fantasy Verdict
If you’re truly desperate for a tight end this week, you can’t do much better than Okonkwo. Reese and the Giants’ defense are certainly a concern, but in PPR formats, the floor is too high to ignore here. I wouldn’t consider him a must-start, but he has some good matchups ahead, and is worth the pickup if you’re in need of some fresh blood at tight end.
