Fantasy Football Week 17 TE Who Should I Start? Chig Okonkwo, Tucker Kraft, Sam LaPorta and Jonnu Smith

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo is all over our FantasySP “Who Should I Start?” tool. That means fantasy owners are comparing him often to other players at his position when trying to decide who to start in Week 17.

That makes Okonkwo a good player to dive into further, along with the guys he’s being compared with, to see what the matchups look like and who might be the best options on Sunday.

Let’s look at three tight ends on the start/sit fantasy line and compare them to Okonkwo to identify the best fantasy options. The full rankings for all four players will be listed at the bottom, so it might answer your questions even if you’re not considering Okonkwo.

I used stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help identify good and bad matchups. I will reference those numbers often.

Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Okonkwo is coming off his two best games of the season, first catching eight of 10 targets for 59 yards in Week 15 against the Bengals, then racking up nine catches on 11 targets for 81 yards last week at Indianapolis.

The game before that was against these same Jaguars, when Okonkwo had just eight yards on three receptions. The biggest change since that time is that Mason Rudolph has been inserted into the starting lineup for second-year passer Will Levis.

Rudolph raises both the ceiling and floor for the passing game, and Okonkwo has been one of the biggest beneficiaries since Rudolph entered the game in Week 15. Okonkwo has another chance to accumulate stats with a good matchup.

Jacksonville has allowed the most yards per pass attempt and seventh-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Passing attacks have as nice a time against the Jags as any team in the league.

Okonkwo is a low-ceiling fantasy player, but he has had good games the last two weeks and is set up well to continue that trend.

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings

Kraft was supposed to be the secondary tight end behind fellow second-year player Luke Musgrave, but Kraft took the starting spot in Week 1 and hasn’t looked back. Kraft is on pace for 700 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Vikings are just a hair better than average in yards per pass attempt, allowing the 13th-lowest mark in the league. They are in the same position in the fantasy world, allowing the 15th-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. Minnesota is very middling as a pass defense against TEs.

This could turn into the game of the week. Both the Vikings and Packers are fighting for playoff position, Minnesota the top spot in the NFC. It’s hard to know exactly what to expect, as both teams play well on offense but also are strong on defense (at times).

When these teams played in Week 4, Kraft had six receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. There’s a chance for another big game, but the matchup is middling. Because Kraft is such a better fantasy player than Okonkwo, I have to recommend the Green Bay tight end.

Fantasy Advice: Start Tucker Kraft over Chig Okonkwo

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers

LaPorta entered the season with a real argument as the top tight end in fantasy. Travis Kelce was still the guy, but it seemed like just a matter of time before the younger player took over. Then 2024 happened, and it’s made some second-guess LaPorta’s place in the hierarchy.

LaPorta will end up with significantly less receptions and yards than last season, and while he’s still catching touchdowns, his six TDs still fall short of his league leading 10 from 2024. Rather than one of the top tight ends in fantasy football, LaPorta is simply a good player, still inside the top 10 at his position.

The matchup is what pushes him down, though, as the 49ers have allowed the third-least yards per pass attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Detroit might have the best passing game in the league, but this is also one of their toughest matchups: it’s an instance of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object.

The circumstances give LaPorta and Okonkwo similar outlooks, so I’ll side with the better player.

Fantasy Advice: Start Sam LaPorta over Chig Okonkwo

Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns

Smith is the only guy on our list here with a truly good matchup this week. While the Browns are in the middle in terms of fantasy points given up to tight ends, they have allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt.

That puts Smith above Okonkwo in the pecking order, and his yearly performance seemingly puts him near the top of our rankings. The only downside is that Smith will likely be without his starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

If Tyler Huntley starts this game, it brings Smith way down. That would put him below Kraft and LaPorta, but a healthy Tua makes Smith the top TE in this group.

Fantasy Advice: Start Jonnu Smith over Chig Okonkwo

Full Player Rankings

1. Tucker Kraft, GB
2. Sam LaPorta, DET
3. Jonnu Smith, MIA
4. Chig Okonkwo, TEN