Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or Jake Ferguson

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.

Sunday, July 27, 11:05 AM

The Dallas Cowboys and standout tight end Jake Ferguson agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension on Sunday worth $52 million in new money with $30 million total guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Ferguson will receive a $12 million signing bonus. The 26-year-old took a step back in 2024, catching 59 of 86 targets for 494 yards and no touchdowns in 14 starts after going for a 71-761-5 line in 17 games in 2023. He was unable to take the next step due to quarterback Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury. Receiver George Pickens will take valuable targets away from Ferguson in 2025, but as long as both he and Prescott stay healthy, Ferguson should improve on his numbers from a year ago. Fantasy managers should target him as a low-end TE1 if they decide to wait on the position.