Target TE Chig Okonkwo Late In Fantasy Football Drafts
Ian Hartitz analyzes the possibility that Chig Okonkwo could outperform his ADP due to the thin pass-catching group for the Washington Commanders.
Every year it's a similar story: A tight end rises up to top-2 target status on his team and ends up scoring in the top 10 at the position in fantasy football. Hunter Henry and Kyle Pitts are just two examples from last season. In looking at our fantasy football projections, Chig Okonkwo is slated to be the No. 2 target in DC. Does that mean the Commanders will get Chiggy with it? Ian Hartitz breaks it down as part of his Washington Commanders Team Preview.
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Is Chig Okonkwo THE late-round tight end of 2026?
- TE1: Chig Okonkwo (TE18 in Fantasy Life ranks)
- TE2: John Bates
- TE3: Ben Sinnott
The glass-half-full and glass-half-empty cases for Chiggy ahead of 2026:
- Bull case: The fun YAC beast works as Jayden Daniels' No. 2 pass-game option in an offense with basically nothing of substance behind soon-to-be 31-year-old WR1 Terry McLaurin.
- Bear case: More traditional inline options John Bates and Ben Sinnott hinder Chiggy's full-time role, and he winds up as one of many complementary pieces in a passing game that frankly wasn't very good in 2025.
Ultimately, I'm leaning into the optimism here! Okonkwo had an absurdly efficient rookie season in a part-time role and has continued to flash afterward. The man is a legit YAC threat out there.
Additionally, Okonkwo profiles as a similar, yet far cheaper, commodity to more trendy late-round option Isaiah Likely: Fun player in a new, fairly wide-open offense with a young QB we like alongside a potential newfound every-down role given the solid free agency investment. Now, Chig's financial investment (3 years, $27 million) isn't quite on the same level as Likely, but still: There is a clear, rational path to Okonkwo smashing his current ADP. He's my third favorite late-round option at the position behind only Likely and Dalton Kincaid.
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