ChigOkonkwo

News: 21 hours agoOkonkwo secured nine of 11 targets for 81 yards in the Titans' 38-30 loss to the Colts on Sunday. He also caught a pass on a two-point conversion.

Spin: The talented tight end had already recorded six catches in Week 15 against the Bengals after Mason Rudolph entered that game for an ineffective Will Levis, so Sunday's team-high reception, receiving yardage and target totals weren't completely surprising. However, Okonkwo's numbers were still a significant boon for fantasy managers that might have been rolling with him in their playoff matchups with the hopes of an encore performance, and the third-year pro is clearly a viable tight end option as long as Rudolph is under center.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: After being a popular late-round sleeper in drafts last summer, is Okonkwo's anticipated breakout still on the way? Even though he was second on Tennessee in targets in 2023, Okonkwo wasn't able to approach the splash-play-fueled success of his rookie campaign. As his third season approaches, the competition for attention only increased in the offseason with the team netting Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in free agency. It seems that in order for Okonkwo to rise from the TE2 tier, the seam-busting upside of 2022 would have to resurface along with an uptick in usage. It won't cost managers much in drafts to find out if Okonkwo is a post-hype sleeper, or merely another depth tight end.