Chig Okonkwo vs Isaiah Likely: Who Should You Start?
Chig Okonkwo and Isaiah Likely are both viable fantasy tight ends heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Chig Okonkwo averaged 5.6 PPG across 17 games with the Washington Commanders, while Isaiah Likely posted 3.4 PPG in 14 appearances for the New York Giants.
A 2.2-PPG gap gives Chig Okonkwo the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Chig Okonkwo is the volume tight end in this matchup with 56 receptions for 560 yards, while Isaiah Likely profiles as a more touchdown-dependent spike play (1 scores on 27 catches). In weeks where Isaiah Likely finds the end zone he out-scores Chig Okonkwo, but the floor gap is real.
Chig Okonkwo has his bye in Week 14, and Isaiah Likely rests in Week 11. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at tight end for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
