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TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, TEN (1 Viewer)

Chigoziem Okonkwo caught 4-of-5 targets for 54 yards in the Titans' Week 15 loss to the Chargers.​

Okonkwo added a rush for six yards. He still split reps with Austin Hooper but did manage to out-target him 5-4 as well. Okonkwo has at least 30 yards in every game since Week 9 and has consistently found ways to make big plays. He will rank as high-end TE2 for Week 16 against the Texans.
Dec 18, 2022, 8:35 PM ET
 

Titans OC Tim Kelly said "we're going to elect to continue to grow his skills and his abilities so we can utilize him more" when asked about Chigoziem Okonkwo.​

"Chig did a great job of making plays," Kelly added. The Titans figure to have most of their passing offense run through Okonkwo and Treylon Burks as things currently stand. This is the first time Tennessee's press corps has met up with Kelly since he was hired, so it's a good sign for Okonkwo that this answer was as glowing as it could be.
SOURCE: Jim Wyatt on Twitter
Feb 28, 2023 at 3:49 PM ET
 
I inherited a dynasty team last year that had Fant at TE and then proceeded to trade for Irv Smith (ugh) but I still have hope for the position and he goes by the name of Chigoziem, whom I plucked from the waiver wire. I know it’s Tennessee and all but it doesn’t take much to be a top 12 fantasy TE nowadays. I think he has a chance to achieve that status as soon as next year. 32/450/3 is a solid line for a rookie.
 

Titans TE Chigoziem Okonkwo said he expects to be the team's No. 1 tight end this season.​

Tennessee added a blocking veteran in Trevon Wesco this offseason and drafted TE Josh Whyle in the fifth round, leaving Okonkwo, who made eight starts in 2022, as the clear favorite to start. The athletic second-year tight end is a candidate for an expanded role on a Titans offense that's projected to be more pass heavy and lacks a true No. 1 receiver. Okonkwo, 23, posted a 32/450/3 line and led all tight ends with three 40-plus yard catches as a rookie.
SOURCE: Sports Illustrated
May 5, 2023, 7:04 PM ET
 

Titans TE Chigoziem Okonkwo said he expects to be the team's No. 1 tight end this season.​

Tennessee added a blocking veteran in Trevon Wesco this offseason and drafted TE Josh Whyle in the fifth round, leaving Okonkwo, who made eight starts in 2022, as the clear favorite to start. The athletic second-year tight end is a candidate for an expanded role on a Titans offense that's projected to be more pass heavy and lacks a true No. 1 receiver. Okonkwo, 23, posted a 32/450/3 line and led all tight ends with three 40-plus yard catches as a rookie.
SOURCE: Sports Illustrated
May 5, 2023, 7:04 PM ET
I would hope so. Chig could very easily be startable in FF and could become a stud.
 
Lining up opposite Burks some.
Lots of reporters saying he looks so much better.
Caught a deep pass from Tannehill that got everyone's attention (and they claimed toe tapping that didn't happen) but also dropped a gimme that Byard poked out because he didn't use his body to shield the defender.

Byard will force him to learn, no doubt. To force him to learn while beating a top safety is a big move for them as Vrabel only ever says he's about competition but it's rarely seen.

Still in shorts.
Still need to know if he can block inline.
 
"Whyle looks to be Titans starting TE while Chig is a starting WR."

I think this is how things will play out. I can't rationalize so many WR snaps any other way.

When contact is allowed in camp, he could show he blocks inline better but ...to move him to taking WR snaps while in shorts has me guessing he doesn't "get it" utilizing some technique.

Looking more like Dallas Clark now. We'll see, still time....
 
Looking more like Dallas Clark now
Sure, but who’s his Peyton Manning?

TEN isn’t exactly a volume paradise for receivers.
Right. But top 5 FF is reachable. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t reach Kmet’s level from last year - 70 targets, 50 receptions, 7 TDs. Probably more receptions and fewer TDs but overall similar.
Totally reasonable.

But the thing is, there are like 10 other TEs who *could* be top 5 & get those numbers.

It wouldn’t totally shock me if Isaiah Higgins in MIA came close to those numbers and most of the FF world doesn’t even know who he is yet.

Not saying Higgins is going to, I’m just saying “top 5” with a 70 target season is pretty well attainable.

It seems like with TE tiers there’s Kelce, Andrews ->> Kittle/Waller ~>>>>>> 10 dudes ~>>>>>> another 5-6 dudes.

Chig is definitely at the high end of that group of 10 dudes and likely has a safer floor. But he could also be a dude everyone gets hyphie over and becomes interchangeable with Irv Smith, Juwon Jennings, etc by the end of the year.

TE is just such an ugly wasteland of chasing points for FF.

I really like Chig. I don’t like his present situation. Kind of like Pitts. They have very similar situations. Pitts likely the better prospect, but his offense could hold him back again.
 
I have this guy and Dulcich on two rosters, and I am getting heavy trade flirting for both
Fwiw, I traded Dulcich and 2.06 (I would have taken hooker, he took Vaughn) for Mark Andrews in SF during our draft. Also have Chig and would not have traded him for less than the 1.12 (which was Kincaid)
 
Looking more like Dallas Clark now
Sure, but who’s his Peyton Manning?

TEN isn’t exactly a volume paradise for receivers.
Right. But top 5 FF is reachable. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t reach Kmet’s level from last year - 70 targets, 50 receptions, 7 TDs. Probably more receptions and fewer TDs but overall similar.
Totally reasonable.

But the thing is, there are like 10 other TEs who *could* be top 5 & get those numbers.

It wouldn’t totally shock me if Isaiah Higgins in MIA came close to those numbers and most of the FF world doesn’t even know who he is yet.

Not saying Higgins is going to, I’m just saying “top 5” with a 70 target season is pretty well attainable.

It seems like with TE tiers there’s Kelce, Andrews ->> Kittle/Waller ~>>>>>> 10 dudes ~>>>>>> another 5-6 dudes.

Chig is definitely at the high end of that group of 10 dudes and likely has a safer floor. But he could also be a dude everyone gets hyphie over and becomes interchangeable with Irv Smith, Juwon Jennings, etc by the end of the year.

TE is just such an ugly wasteland of chasing points for FF.

I really like Chig. I don’t like his present situation. Kind of like Pitts. They have very similar situations. Pitts likely the better prospect, but his offense could hold him back again.
True. But most of that group is unlikely to become one of the Tier 1. Chig has that chance, probably close to Pitts (totally agreed he has the talent but hasn’t shown it) and Kincaid long term.
 
His sophomore season was not good. That’s probably an outlier but we’ll see.
Suffering a major injury and having Mariotta as your QB will do that.

I still think he’s got a tough situation with Ridder though.

That’s partly my point about Chig.
 
His sophomore season was not good. That’s probably an outlier but we’ll see.
Suffering a major injury and having Mariotta as your QB will do that.

I still think he’s got a tough situation with Ridder though.

That’s partly my point about Chig.
Wrong thread for this but, he got pulled to watch Hesse do things the right way a few times. He still refuses to be the hoops player boxing out and there are a number of TE plays made by simply doing that on a crucial down.
This is not to say he doesn't do things well, but he and the staff hit a point last year that the hammer needed to come down. No one on this earth wants Parker Hesse relied upon but it has to happen.
Jonnu is an awesome example for Pitts. He was resistant at first but Pitts has grown to listen n learn from the veteran that can also play multiple positions and run faster than expected for his size.
Pitts and Jonnu were in the RB room last day of minicamp and instead of his looking uncomfortable and confused, Pitts was all in and contributing to the conversation. Earlier in the spring, Bates (guy from Cincy) and him had a heated debate in the Safety room and hard headed Pitts got schooled at practice then hugged him.
He's been questioning a lot and very much thought he knows what's best and... different attitude this year.
Not coincidentally Cordarelle has been playing some TE and been in the TE room too. The veteran Smith and the team adores.
I think you'll see a vastly improved Pitts this year.
Pitts has had bad tells also. Looks where he's going presnap. Something with wiggling his hand at WR. In college he slapped his hip if he was the pick guy and took a while to stop doing that.
He'd bark at Pees now n then as a rookie and ol ball coach shut that down. No idea how but the young dude didn't respect that his team's DC not an opponent's.

Pitts' target share has been very high for TEs this whole time. He's definitely had some WRish diva to him. Doesn't matter anymore if everything clicked as it seems to.
People don't read and criticize the QBs or Arthur or Peele and it's garbage. They're doing everything they can for this kid.
He's been quiet this off-season and I'm betting that's part crow and part being "all business." I think this is his year, truly do.
 
His sophomore season was not good. That’s probably an outlier but we’ll see.
Suffering a major injury and having Mariotta as your QB will do that.

I still think he’s got a tough situation with Ridder though.

That’s partly my point about Chig.
Wrong thread for this but, he got pulled to watch Hesse do things the right way a few times. He still refuses to be the hoops player boxing out and there are a number of TE plays made by simply doing that on a crucial down.
This is not to say he doesn't do things well, but he and the staff hit a point last year that the hammer needed to come down. No one on this earth wants Parker Hesse relied upon but it has to happen.
Jonnu is an awesome example for Pitts. He was resistant at first but Pitts has grown to listen n learn from the veteran that can also play multiple positions and run faster than expected for his size.
Pitts and Jonnu were in the RB room last day of minicamp and instead of his looking uncomfortable and confused, Pitts was all in and contributing to the conversation. Earlier in the spring, Bates (guy from Cincy) and him had a heated debate in the Safety room and hard headed Pitts got schooled at practice then hugged him.
He's been questioning a lot and very much thought he knows what's best and... different attitude this year.
Not coincidentally Cordarelle has been playing some TE and been in the TE room too. The veteran Smith and the team adores.
I think you'll see a vastly improved Pitts this year.
Pitts has had bad tells also. Looks where he's going presnap. Something with wiggling his hand at WR. In college he slapped his hip if he was the pick guy and took a while to stop doing that.
He'd bark at Pees now n then as a rookie and ol ball coach shut that down. No idea how but the young dude didn't respect that his team's DC not an opponent's.

Pitts' target share has been very high for TEs this whole time. He's definitely had some WRish diva to him. Doesn't matter anymore if everything clicked as it seems to.
People don't read and criticize the QBs or Arthur or Peele and it's garbage. They're doing everything they can for this kid.
He's been quiet this off-season and I'm betting that's part crow and part being "all business." I think this is his year, truly do.

I don't mean to bust nads but after watching him underperform for two years in New England (and underperform is being kind) I don't see what there is to learn from Jonnu outside of being an athletic tease.
 
His sophomore season was not good. That’s probably an outlier but we’ll see.
Suffering a major injury and having Mariotta as your QB will do that.

I still think he’s got a tough situation with Ridder though.

That’s partly my point about Chig.
Wrong thread for this but, he got pulled to watch Hesse do things the right way a few times. He still refuses to be the hoops player boxing out and there are a number of TE plays made by simply doing that on a crucial down.
This is not to say he doesn't do things well, but he and the staff hit a point last year that the hammer needed to come down. No one on this earth wants Parker Hesse relied upon but it has to happen.
Jonnu is an awesome example for Pitts. He was resistant at first but Pitts has grown to listen n learn from the veteran that can also play multiple positions and run faster than expected for his size.
Pitts and Jonnu were in the RB room last day of minicamp and instead of his looking uncomfortable and confused, Pitts was all in and contributing to the conversation. Earlier in the spring, Bates (guy from Cincy) and him had a heated debate in the Safety room and hard headed Pitts got schooled at practice then hugged him.
He's been questioning a lot and very much thought he knows what's best and... different attitude this year.
Not coincidentally Cordarelle has been playing some TE and been in the TE room too. The veteran Smith and the team adores.
I think you'll see a vastly improved Pitts this year.
Pitts has had bad tells also. Looks where he's going presnap. Something with wiggling his hand at WR. In college he slapped his hip if he was the pick guy and took a while to stop doing that.
He'd bark at Pees now n then as a rookie and ol ball coach shut that down. No idea how but the young dude didn't respect that his team's DC not an opponent's.

Pitts' target share has been very high for TEs this whole time. He's definitely had some WRish diva to him. Doesn't matter anymore if everything clicked as it seems to.
People don't read and criticize the QBs or Arthur or Peele and it's garbage. They're doing everything they can for this kid.
He's been quiet this off-season and I'm betting that's part crow and part being "all business." I think this is his year, truly do.

I don't mean to bust nads but after watching him underperform for two years in New England (and underperform is being kind) I don't see what there is to learn from Jonnu outside of being an athletic tease.
I don't at all understand what happened in NE with him. It starts with also signing another name TE and ends with them replacing him w Gesecki and instilling a 2 TE offense(which I figure they've had since Hernandez at least) this spring. Very weird.

He learned from Delanie and the Titans made him learn to block well first. His rookie year and some of second he was the blocking TE. I'd bet $ Arthur wishes he started Pitts out the same and got rid of any young diva stuff.

Hesse (a former rated QB and DL) should have been enough for Pitts to learn from but last year was clearly difficult.

Jonnu is in a good spot now. He has to sub in and do things the right way so the youngster sees it as a reminder. When they're in together, he can point out anything he sees to Ridder or Pitts. Besides him, Arthur's got veterans surrounding them- wisdom gained from experience is there for all the young guys to learn from
 
His sophomore season was not good. That’s probably an outlier but we’ll see.
Suffering a major injury and having Mariotta as your QB will do that.

I still think he’s got a tough situation with Ridder though.

That’s partly my point about Chig.
Wrong thread for this but, he got pulled to watch Hesse do things the right way a few times. He still refuses to be the hoops player boxing out and there are a number of TE plays made by simply doing that on a crucial down.
This is not to say he doesn't do things well, but he and the staff hit a point last year that the hammer needed to come down. No one on this earth wants Parker Hesse relied upon but it has to happen.
Jonnu is an awesome example for Pitts. He was resistant at first but Pitts has grown to listen n learn from the veteran that can also play multiple positions and run faster than expected for his size.
Pitts and Jonnu were in the RB room last day of minicamp and instead of his looking uncomfortable and confused, Pitts was all in and contributing to the conversation. Earlier in the spring, Bates (guy from Cincy) and him had a heated debate in the Safety room and hard headed Pitts got schooled at practice then hugged him.
He's been questioning a lot and very much thought he knows what's best and... different attitude this year.
Not coincidentally Cordarelle has been playing some TE and been in the TE room too. The veteran Smith and the team adores.
I think you'll see a vastly improved Pitts this year.
Pitts has had bad tells also. Looks where he's going presnap. Something with wiggling his hand at WR. In college he slapped his hip if he was the pick guy and took a while to stop doing that.
He'd bark at Pees now n then as a rookie and ol ball coach shut that down. No idea how but the young dude didn't respect that his team's DC not an opponent's.

Pitts' target share has been very high for TEs this whole time. He's definitely had some WRish diva to him. Doesn't matter anymore if everything clicked as it seems to.
People don't read and criticize the QBs or Arthur or Peele and it's garbage. They're doing everything they can for this kid.
He's been quiet this off-season and I'm betting that's part crow and part being "all business." I think this is his year, truly do.

I don't mean to bust nads but after watching him underperform for two years in New England (and underperform is being kind) I don't see what there is to learn from Jonnu outside of being an athletic tease.
I don't at all understand what happened in NE with him. It starts with also signing another name TE and ends with them replacing him w Gesecki and instilling a 2 TE offense(which I figure they've had since Hernandez at least) this spring. Very weird.

He learned from Delanie and the Titans made him learn to block well first. His rookie year and some of second he was the blocking TE. I'd bet $ Arthur wishes he started Pitts out the same and got rid of any young diva stuff.

Hesse (a former rated QB and DL) should have been enough for Pitts to learn from but last year was clearly difficult.

Jonnu is in a good spot now. He has to sub in and do things the right way so the youngster sees it as a reminder. When they're in together, he can point out anything he sees to Ridder or Pitts. Besides him, Arthur's got veterans surrounding them- wisdom gained from experience is there for all the young guys to learn from

He was awful...dropped passes, penalties, missed assignments and pretty much everything else a subpar player would do outside of blocking where he was ok at...I appreciate the fact you think Arthur Smith is on-track to being an all-time great HC but just not buying Jonnu is a difference-maker as an influence for the insanely-talented Pitts or that the Falcons while making progress have suddenly turned into an organization like the Chiefs.
 
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The Titans’ official website reports Chig Okonkwo has “shown improvement in Year 2, as a blocker and a pass catcher.”

Stop the clocks, we know, but it’s a good sign that Okonkwo is having strong offseason practices as the Titans transition to a new tight ends coach and continue to hunt for playmakers. Okonkwo also has to make sure he doesn’t lose any camp juice to raw-but-freakish fifth-round rookie Josh Whyle. Hyper efficient on admittedly limited touches as a rookie, Okonkwo remains an exciting low-end TE1 flier.
 
The Titans’ official website reports Chig Okonkwo has “shown improvement in Year 2, as a blocker and a pass catcher.”

Stop the clocks, we know, but it’s a good sign that Okonkwo is having strong offseason practices as the Titans transition to a new tight ends coach and continue to hunt for playmakers. Okonkwo also has to make sure he doesn’t lose any camp juice to raw-but-freakish fifth-round rookie Josh Whyle. Hyper efficient on admittedly limited touches as a rookie, Okonkwo remains an exciting low-end TE1 flier.
Can't really do this in shorts. He must have shown proper form or somesuch
 
this is the best time to sell this guy you will probably ever have, at least in sharp leagues. so much hype over basically 4 or 5 plays last year. he had 4 plays totalling like 150 yards, mostly off screens or broken tackle type plays. that's fueled all the talk about his metrics (off the charts 7.9 YAC/catch for 99th percentile for all WR/TE, over 2 yards per route run at 2.61 which is greatest in rookie TE history, etc). he climbed to just above 4 targets per game over the final 7 weeks and his final 3 snap rates of the year were 46-25-43%. he did have a 3 game stretch of 58-49-60%, which is great but hard to see a path to an above 60% snap rate. essentially no tight end is a difference maker at 60% snap rate and his profile doesn't suggest he would be, in college he had basically no production.

athletic guy who pops off the screen but the true path to difference maker is like 10% or something, guy will most likely have like 75 targets this year, score 7.5 FPG and settle into that startable but forgettable TE mix. right now you can trade him for people who think he might be a Jermichael Finley type though
 
this is the best time to sell this guy you will probably ever have, at least in sharp leagues. so much hype over basically 4 or 5 plays last year. he had 4 plays totalling like 150 yards, mostly off screens or broken tackle type plays. that's fueled all the talk about his metrics (off the charts 7.9 YAC/catch for 99th percentile for all WR/TE, over 2 yards per route run at 2.61 which is greatest in rookie TE history, etc). he climbed to just above 4 targets per game over the final 7 weeks and his final 3 snap rates of the year were 46-25-43%. he did have a 3 game stretch of 58-49-60%, which is great but hard to see a path to an above 60% snap rate. essentially no tight end is a difference maker at 60% snap rate and his profile doesn't suggest he would be, in college he had basically no production.

athletic guy who pops off the screen but the true path to difference maker is like 10% or something, guy will most likely have like 75 targets this year, score 7.5 FPG and settle into that startable but forgettable TE mix. right now you can trade him for people who think he might be a Jermichael Finley type though
And what type of pick or player would you target. I'd rather have the upside chance then a third or late 2nd.
 
this is the best time to sell this guy you will probably ever have, at least in sharp leagues. so much hype over basically 4 or 5 plays last year. he had 4 plays totalling like 150 yards, mostly off screens or broken tackle type plays. that's fueled all the talk about his metrics (off the charts 7.9 YAC/catch for 99th percentile for all WR/TE, over 2 yards per route run at 2.61 which is greatest in rookie TE history, etc). he climbed to just above 4 targets per game over the final 7 weeks and his final 3 snap rates of the year were 46-25-43%. he did have a 3 game stretch of 58-49-60%, which is great but hard to see a path to an above 60% snap rate. essentially no tight end is a difference maker at 60% snap rate and his profile doesn't suggest he would be, in college he had basically no production.

athletic guy who pops off the screen but the true path to difference maker is like 10% or something, guy will most likely have like 75 targets this year, score 7.5 FPG and settle into that startable but forgettable TE mix. right now you can trade him for people who think he might be a Jermichael Finley type though
And what type of pick or player would you target. I'd rather have the upside chance then a third or late 2nd.

100%...if someone is expecting Kelce 2.0 that is on them...if you are realistic, you have a very intriguing prospect at a position that is pretty thin...unless you are getting an overpay (and I just don't see that happening in quality leagues) I would rather ride it out and see what you have.
 
Yeah, I moved someone more valuable in the short term than Okonkwo to see what Okonkwo can do, I'm not expecting Kelce 2.0 because I don't do daft things like projecting someone to be the arguable GOAT of his position, but I don't think low end TE1 with the potential to slot in just behind the real top tier is unrealistic and not something I'm looking to sell
 
If Dalton Kincaid is worth a late first, then so is Chig. I wouldn't sell for anything less. I do agree that the hype level is elevated and that provides potential opportunity to sell high if you can negotiate the right offer.
 
If Dalton Kincaid is worth a late first, then so is Chig. I wouldn't sell for anything less. I do agree that the hype level is elevated and that provides potential opportunity to sell high if you can negotiate the right offer.
I have Chig in two leagues and drafted Kincaid 1.12 in one of them. As much as I like Chig, it would take more to get Kincaid from me. Neither will probably start this year for me in that league (Andrews and Waller) but Kincaid has higher long term upside.
 
I play a sort of salary cap game and I have him for $2, will be trying to trade him for semi value $15-$20 players (say salary of $16, value of $16-18..something like that)
 
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said TE Chig Okonkwo’s blocking “has to improve.”
One of the most efficient tight end pass catchers in recent memory, Okonkwo had reportedly shown some progress as a blocker this summer. Vrabel, however, implied the second-year tight end has a long way to go. In 2022, Pro Football Focus graded Okonkwo 29th among tight ends in pass blocking and 47th in run blocking. His blocking struggles could limit his playing time in the run-first Tennessee offense. Okonkwo sets up as a fine streaming option in 12-team formats this season.
 
Titans camp has been quiet...anybody see any training camp news or observations re Chig?
Been mentioning the TEs in the WR thread.
He was called out today for not blocking well; the day Mack limped off. Mack is a fine blocker and receiver and could very well be pushing Chig.
Whyle is 6-6 or 6-7 with insane wingspan and yet looks more svelte like a WR. Titans were interested in Ridder and some others at Cincy and have been onto Whyle for three years. Anywho, he's an inviting looking target and can blow people up with blocks but also get beat. He's still learning but clearly winning some so I guess that's better received than just struggling.
Their right tackle is suspended. The replacement was cut for fighting. The free agent they signed has two games of experience. Their UDFA that was playing well got injured today. It is dire at RT now and chances are strong that whoever plays it will need TE help
 
Chig should have rocked and been loving life yesterday in the rain just like Henry and the other big boys were.
I wanted to followup on previous-
Tweets of Chig making a single catch and how he's not blocking well.
Then Mack possibly holding not called, catch over middle, sealed the edge for Haskins, very nice my ball catch n injured.
Whyle in the slot, nails a LB not expecting a block there, two catches.

It's just regular. The tweets are like block n catch block n catch with the other TEs but Chig gets like one tweet a day for one catch. It's not at all the same.

Again, can't say this enough- he will have as long as they can give him to become a better blocker and be given the starting role when he does.

Some are mentioning the changing RT as if Chig can't get used to blocking alongside someone but that's bunk to me if all the others handle it fine
 

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