Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or Isaiah Likely
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.2 | 34.0 | 0.2 |
Chig Okonkwo News
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.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 37.7 | 0.3 |
Isaiah Likely News
Wednesday, September 2, 8:16 AM
ESPN's Dan Graziano does not think anyone should be surprised if tight end Isaiah Likely is a "breakout star" in his first season with the New York Giants in 2026. Likely followed head coach John Harbaugh from the Baltimore Ravens to the Giants in free agency, and Giants coaches "light up" when talking about Likely. The coaching staff thinks that Likely will "be a real asset" for quarterback Jaxson Dart as a receiver and "think he can win in both man and zone coverage." The Giants love how he has evolved his relationship with Dart, and he is a regular visitor to the QB room. The connection that Likely has formed with Dart on and off the field "could pay major dividends." Graziano thinks that Likely is a strong candidate to be the Giants' second-leading receiver this year, and potentially more if receiver Malik Nabers (knee) needs more time to get up to speed after tearing his ACL and meniscus early last year. The 26-year-old former fourth-rounder from Coastal Carolina never had over 477 receiving yards or six touchdowns in his four years in Baltimore, where he was in the shadow of Mark Andrews. Now that he is the TE1 in the Big Apple, Likely has clear TE1 upside in fantasy, with RotoBaller ranking him as the No. 15 player at the position heading into the new season.
Chig Okonkwo vs. Isaiah Likely
Still trying to decide between Okonkwo and Likely? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Chig Okonkwo is projected to score 7.7 points this week while Isaiah Likely is projected to score 9.0 points.
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