Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or AJ Barner

Tuesday, August 25, 8:38 PM

Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo should benefit from a change of scenery ahead of the 2026 season. The Maryland product spent the last four seasons in Tennessee, finishing each of the four years between TE21 and TE25 in PPR leagues. That level of consistency became the norm for Okonkwo in Tennessee, but it never resulted in a true breakout. Instead, he was frequently a mid-range TE2 in fantasy football, with his best stats coming in 2025 when he caught 56 passes for 560 yards and two touchdowns. We could be looking at a similar situation to when Washington brought in veteran Zach Ertz, fueling his career resurgence. Ertz was the overall TE7 with 654 yards and seven touchdowns as the Commanders' primary tight end in 2024, and while Okonkwo's leap might not be quite that large, he still has clear top-12 upside in fantasy football, especially if quarterback Jayden Daniels can stay healthy for a full season. He's a very appealing late-round target for fantasy managers who want to roster two tight ends in 2026.