Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Wednesday, July 9, 3:01 PM

Tennessee Titans Chig Okonkwo has flashed on occasion during his three-year NFL career, but tight ends often take time to develop, and Tennessee's offense has been well below league-average since the start of the 2022 campaign. The former fourth-round pick out of Maryland has tallied 138 receptions (193 targets) for 1,457 yards and six touchdowns in 51 career games. Heading into Year 4, Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt believes he is "poised" for his best season as a pro. He now has valuable experience, and he'll enter the year with momentum after finishing the 2024 season on a roll." Wyatt wrote. "Okonkwo finished the year third on the team with 52 catches for 479 yards and two scores. The Titans are counting on big things from Okonkwo after a solid offseason, when I charted him with a team-high 13 catches during the five open practices." While it's tough to get too excited about a mid-level tight end catching passes from a rookie quarterback, there is a low bar for Cam Ward to have the best season of any Tennessee signal callers since Okonkwo arrived in Nashville. At his TE26 cost in preseason fantasy drafts, he's worth a dart throw given the lack of target competition behind Calvin Ridley.

Monday, July 21, 9:19 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders "lost 10 pounds during the offseason and looked faster during OTAs," according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. Carolina drafted Sanders in the fourth round out of Texas in 2024. He appeared in 16 games (eight starts) as a rookie, logging 33 catches for 342 yards and one touchdown. Sanders should have an opportunity to earn significant playing time in his second season. His main competition at tight end in Carolina is Tommy Tremble, who has recorded 23 receptions in each of the past two seasons, and Mitchell Evans, a fifth-round selection by the team in this year's draft. With a good training camp and preseason, Sanders could be an intriguing late-round dart throw at the tight end position in deeper leagues.