Who Should I Start? Kyle Pitts Sr. or Chig Okonkwo

Tuesday, February 10, 1:52 PM

Atlanta Falcons impending free-agent tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. seems likely to remain in Atlanta in 2026, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. Kendall believes the franchise tag for Pitts makes the most sense, which would mean Pitts would make a little more than $16.3 million in 2026. Placing the franchise tag on the 25-year-old would give new head coach Kevin Stefanski a year to evaluate Pitts with his own eyes. Pitts teased fantasy managers for years after his 1,000-yard rookie season in 2021, only to fall flat. The former first-rounder finally played up to his abilities in 2025, catching a career-high 88 passes on 118 targets for 928 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 17 games played. He had at least six catches and 57 yards in five of the final six games. Although Atlanta's quarterback situation is up in the air with Michael Penix Jr. (knee) injured, Pitts' fantasy stock as a TE1 is on the rise going into 2026 if he stays with the Falcons.

Thursday, January 29, 5:26 PM

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo never really became all that interesting in fantasy football in his fourth year in the NFL in 2025 in a Titans offense that struggled with consistency under rookie quarterback Cameron Ward. Okonkwo played in all 17 games for the fourth straight year and had career-highs in receptions (56), targets (79), and receiving yards (560) while finding the end zone only two times. In addition to the Titans' offense being one of the worst in the league, Okonkwo shared valuable targets with rookie TE Gunnar Helm, who finished his rookie season with 44 catches for 357 yards and two touchdowns on 55 targets. Both of Okonkwo's touchdowns came late in the year, but Helm also saw more involvement in the passing game in the second half of 2025. For fantasy purposes, Okonkwo would be better off going elsewhere in free agency, with Helm likely only becoming more of a factor on offense in Tennessee in 2026.