Josh

Whyle

Tennessee’s clear No. 2 tight end behind Chig Okonkwo, Whyle took advantage of Okonkwo’s absence to create a team-best seven targets that went nowhere. He also caught a two-point conversion while wide-open. Whyle ends the season with a 28/248/1 line and enters year three of his rookie contract off the fantasy radar.

The tight ends became heavily utilized with Mason Rudolph entering the game amidst Will Levis’ benching. Whyle was tied for third on the team with five targets, catching Rudolph’s last pass of the game for a touchdown as time expired in the fourth quarter. Whyle remains off fantasy radars as the Titans figure out their quarterback situation.

Okonkwo had a quiet day, with just eight yards on four targets. He was dropped for a six-yard loss on a checkdown, bringing down his yardage total. He is the lead tight end, but that does not mean much in the inefficient Titans offense. Fellow tight end Nick Vannett caught 1-of-2 targets for four yards while Josh Whyle caught 2-of-2 targets for 31 yards. None of the Titans’ tight ends should be in fantasy lineups; Okonkwo should be the only one on the fantasy radar.

Okonkwo finally failed to catch some targets with his first two incompletions of the season. Josh Whyle also had a catch for five yards. Okonkwo handily outperformed Kyle Pitts this week, you can’t deny it.

Without buying too far into depth charts, it’s notable that Okonkwo is not listed as the starting tight end alone for Week 1 against Chicago. Okonkwo is coming off a down 2023 season in which he averaged a meager 1.6 yards per route run and Whyle has drawn praise from Titans coaches this summer. Look for Okonkwo and Whyle to split pass-catching duties to start the season.

No. 2 TE Josh Whyle (concussion protocol) was inactive but Okonkwo still failed to separate from his position group. Conversely, No. 3 TE Nick Vannett caught 2-of-2 targets for 30 yards playing alongside Okonkwo in the first-team offense.

Titans tight ends focused on their physiques this offseason; Wyatt reported in June that Chig Okonkwo likewise worked to improve his stability, in order to improve his cutting ability. A wise move, given Whyle’s incremental encroachment on Okonkwo’s 2023 role before a Week 13 knee injury landed Whyle on injured reserve. Okonkwo remains the team’s No. 1 tight end but Whyle did perform more efficiently last year, earning targets at a 25.9 percent rate while averaging 1.62 yards per route run. Okonkwo finished respective per-route averages of 18.4 percent and 1.31. Whyle will have to fully unseat Okonkwo to become re-draft relevant but should be safely stashed on dynasty benches in the meantime.

Primarily a blocker, Whyle had one catch for 16 yards before exiting. Chig Okonkwo may see a few more snaps with Whyle done for the day.

Whyle took a hard hit from Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton in the first quarter and immediately left the field to get checked out by the medical staff. He was ruled out shortly after. Whyle has three catches for 33 yards and a score this year.

The rookie tight end was on the receiving end of a trick play pass from Derrick Henry on his touchdown catch. It was a great play and a great moment for Whyle, since it was his first career touchdown grab, but the rookie is playing just 29 percent of snaps for the Titans. He may have some dynasty value because he was good in college at Cincinnati, but he’s not on the verge of stealing a starting job just yet.