Chig Okonkwo Is Worth A Flyer In Tight End Premium Fantasy Football Leagues

Chigoziem Okonkwo showed signs of breakout potential late in 2024, but is he worth a 2025 fantasy draft pick?

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) catches the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Chigoziem Okonkwo enters 2025 as one of the more intriguing tight end sleepers after flashing late-season potential in back-to-back years. While he’s struggled with consistency and big-play regression, his increased usage late in 2024 hints at a potential breakout in a new-look Titans offense.

Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans

Despite a short resume (77/717/8 on 117 targets) over 30 games at Maryland, Okonkwo handled himself well in his rookie season after getting selected in the fourth round in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Tennessee gave him only 15 targets over his first 10 games, leading to eight catches for 172 yards and one score. His big-play ability was evident over three games (1/48, 1/41, and 1/31), providing him with increased opportunities over the final seven games. Okonkwo helped fantasy teams in four weeks (4/68, 6/45/1, 4/54, and 3/42/1) while doing most of his work much closer to the line of scrimmage (11.6 yards per catch). Over this span, he averaged 4.4 targets with an improved catch rate (77.4).

With seven of his 32 catches (21.9%) gaining 20 yards or more (three reached the 40-yard mark), Okonkwo offers a unique skill set to the tight end position. He has plus speed (4.52 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine) with a powerful frame that is a bit undersized (6’3” and 240 lbs.) for the blocking part of the tight end position. His route-running development will determine his ceiling in his NFL career.

In 2023, Okonkwo caught 54 of his 77 targets for 528 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, he gained only 9.8 yards per catch (14.1 in 2022). His only game with over 10.00 fantasy points in PPR formats came in Week 16 (6/63/1).

Last year, Tennessee gave Okonkwo about the same opportunity, leading to 52 catches for 479 yards and two touchdowns on 70 targets. His yards per catch (9.2) had further regression. He only had 30 catches for 297 yards and two scores over his first 13 games. The Titans upped his usage from Week 15 to Week 17 (8/59, 9/81, and 5/59) on 28 combined targets. Okonkwo left his final game after three snaps with an abdominal injury. 

Chig Okonkwo Fantasy Football Outlook

Even with an uptick in play late last season, Okonkwo will go undrafted in most 12-team leagues this season. To reach top 12 tight end status, he needs to score about 150.00 fantasy points in PPR formats or a 60/650/4 season. Okonkwo is a player to follow this summer, as he should have a TE2 floor with a couple of additional touchdowns.