Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or Isaiah Likely

Saturday, October 18, 9:25 AM

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo has quietly emerged as one of quarterback Cameron Ward's favorite targets, which should benefit him as he looks to maintain low-end fantasy relevance against the New England Patriots in Week 7. The 26-year-old has 10 catches for 94 yards over his last two games, and he ranks as the overall TE21 in scoring so far (PPR). The good news is that he has been a short-range outlet for Ward, but he can still contribute extra yards with his impressive YAC ability. We need to see a little more consistency from Okonkwo before confidently starting him. That could happen this week against the Patriots, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2025.

Tuesday, October 21, 7:06 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely has had a forgettable 2025 season through the first seven weeks. He didn't make his season debut until Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a back injury, and in his first game back, he played fewer than 50% of the offensive snaps and wasn't targeted at all. Likely caught his only target for 12 yards in Week 5 and then had two catches for just six yards in the Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In Weeks 5 and 6, Likely was working with backup quarterback Cooper Rush, with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson sidelined with a hamstring injury. The good news is that Likely played 80.8% of the snaps in Week 6, and he should be fully integrated into the offense coming out of the Ravens' Week 7 bye. The 25-year-old could be a touchdown-dependent TE2 the remainder of the year while splitting work with Mark Andrews, but don't be surprised if he breaks out in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears if Jackson returns under center.