With Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season just days away, it’s time to take a look at some fantasy football start or sit advice for the Tennessee Titans’ defense, as well as tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo and Treylon Burks.
Okonkwo was one of the few bright spots for the Titans in 2022 after he led all rookie tight ends in receiving yards and proved to be one of the most explosive players at his position overall.
Buy Titans TicketsIn fact, Okonkwo’s yards per route run were on par with some of the best pass-catchers in the entire NFL, regardless of their position or experience.
2022 TE Yards per Route Run Leaders
per @FantasyPtsData1. Chig Okonkwo (2.83)
2. Travis Kelce (2.39)
3. Dallas Goedert (2.10)
4. George Kittle (2.06)
5. Mark Andrews (1.97)Chig Okonkwo clearly has big potential but needs to see a bigger role
— Alex Caruso (@AlexCaruso) August 3, 2023
Tennessee’s 2022 first-round pick, Burks no doubt flashed promise in his rookie season, but he only appeared in 11 games thanks to injuries. This year, Burks looks to not only be in better shape, but he’s gained confidence, also, which has his arrow pointing up going into 2023.
Now, a look at some Week 1 start or sit advice for Burks, Chig and the Titans’ defense, which was ravaged by injuries last season but has the potential to be one of the league’s best.
WR Treylon Burks: Sit
While I think Burks is primed for a breakout season after an injury-plagued 2022, his fantasy stock was hurt with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins.
Before Hopkins, Burks was the undisputed No. 1 receiver in this offense and was set to be peppered with targets. However, until he proves otherwise, the second-year wideout is now the No. 2 behind Hopkins, who should be considered the favorite to lead the team in receiving.
On the flip side of that coin, Hopkins’ presence will no doubt attract plenty of attention from opposing defenses, giving Burks more one-on-one matchups against No. 2 cornerbacks to exploit.
Even still, Burks remains a question mark with so little track record to go on and that’s not something you want to bet on in Week 1. Keep him on the bench and give this situation a week or two to flesh out.
TE Chig Okonkwo: Start
Along with Burks, Okonkwo’s fantasy stock took a hit with the signing of Hopkins, which will leave less targets for him and pushes him down in the pass-catcher pecking order to No. 2 or No. 3
However, Chig has shown he’s one of the more talented tight ends in the NFL and having two dangerous receivers on the outside is going to free him up over the middle.
Okonkwo is a big play waiting to happen, thus he doesn’t need a ton of targets to produce an effective fantasy outing at a position that is a total crapshoot most weeks if you don’t have an elite tight end.
I’m comfortable starting Chig in Week 1.
Titans D/ST: Start
With a new quarterback at the helm in Derek Carr, the Saints’ offense is primed to get off to a slow start. Adding to that, New Orleans won’t have Alvin Kamara, one of its best weapons on offense.
Making matters worse, the Titans sport one of the most talented defensive fronts in the NFL that is elite against the run and sports no shortage of impressive pass-rushers to get after Carr.
The Titans will see the return of their 2021 sacks leader, Harold Landry, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. They’ve also added Trevis Gipson and Arden Key to go along with interior studs like Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry.
It’s true Tennessee was bad against the pass in 2022, but context is important and it can’t be understated just how banged up the secondary was. That is not the case going into Week 1.
With the Titans’ front shutting down the run game and putting pressure on Carr, who has thrown the second-most interceptions in the NFL since 2021 (28), points will be hard to come by for the Saints and Tennessee should notch a turnover or two in the process.
