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

Saturday, September 27, 12:32 AM

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo remains a consistent target for quarterback Cameron Ward heading into a Week 4 matchup against the Houston Texans. Okonkwo has 12 targets and nine catches over his last two games, ranking as the overall TE9 in PPR leagues during that span. The Maryland product is both a reliable outlet for Ward and a strong candidate to pick up extra yards after the catch. He's less appealing around the goal line, as he hasn't scored a touchdown this season and has just six scores through 54 career games. Nevertheless, he has shown that he can have some low-end fantasy value even when he's not breaking into the end zone. That should remain the case this week against the Texans, who have ranked near the middle of the league with the 14th-most receptions and 13th-fewest fantasy points allowed to tight ends. Okonkwo is a top-18 fantasy tight end with top-12 upside.

Friday, September 26, 8:02 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) was unable to practice all week and was officially ruled out on Friday for the Week 4 game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone after Sanders suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons. In fact, it's possible that the 22-year-old will miss up to four to six weeks with this injury. With Sanders out, all of Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, and James Mitchell could have bigger roles for Carolina in the coming week, starting this Sunday versus the Patriots. Tremble will be the TE1, but he's more of a blocking tight end and should not be trusted in fantasy lineups. Fantasy managers should avoid Carolina's TE situation. Through three weeks in his second NFL season before his injury, Sanders caught 11 of 14 targets for 92 yards and no touchdowns.