Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo or Sam LaPorta

Saturday, August 2, 6:55 PM

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo "continues to look like he has an extra gear," according to team reporter JT Ruhnke. The 25-year-old has spent his entire career in Music City since being drafted by the team in 2022. He's appeared in all 17 regular-season games in each of his three seasons. While Okonkwo hasn't been consistently productive, he at least flashed some signs of promise by totaling 138 receptions for 1,457 yards and six touchdowns. He'll have plenty of competition for targets in 2025, with Tyler Lockett, Calvin Ridley, and Van Jefferson all looking for attention. The Titans will also presumably have rookie quarterback Cam Ward under center, although it's realistic to assume he might struggle on occasion. With so much anticipated volatility at the tight end position, Okonkwo could find himself in fantasy lineups this season. However, fantasy managers shouldn't expect consistent production from him on a week-to-week basis.

Tuesday, August 19, 1:18 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (undisclosed) returned to training camp practice on Tuesday, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. LaPorta has been held out of practices recently with a minor undisclosed issue, but it was never considered serious. It's unclear if he'll make his debut this preseason in the finale on Saturday against the Houston Texans. The 24-year-old former second-rounder (34th overall) in 2023 out of Iowa put himself on the fantasy map right away in his rookie campaign with an 86-889-10 line in 17 games (14 starts). He took a slight step backwards in his sophomore season with a 60-726-7 line in 16 regular-season starts. LaPorta has plenty of competition in a still stacked Lions offense which will be run by new offensive coordinator John Morton. However, in one of the top offenses in the league, LaPorta should be considered a top-five fantasy TE.