Tight End Matchups to Target in Week 17 - Brock Bowers, T.J. Hockenson, Chig Okonkwo

Last week we hit on several big performances from tight ends in this feature and we're going to run it back with a few familiar names this week as well.

In the modern NFL, the tight end position has become a vital part of most team's offenses, though some teams utilize it more than others. There's simply no shortage of talented big guys who can catch and with defenses playing two high safeties to take away the deep ball, tight ends can sit underneath and rack up a bunch of short catches.

Let's analyze some of the best tight-end matchups of Week 17 with some options at multiple price points on DraftKings and FanDuel.

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Brock Bowers ($6,700 DK, $7,600 FD)

Las Vegas Raiders @ New Orleans Saints

Bowers takes the top spot once again this week, though I think his rostership could be held in check by his price on a slate that doesn't have all that much value available at other positions.

The Raiders' rookie hauled in 11 more receptions last week for 99 yards against Jacksonville as he bounced back in a big way as we expected.

1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ yards receiving for the rookie TE Brock Bowers! pic.twitter.com/atJlbYcHNU

— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024

Look for Bowers to be the top target-earner again for Vegas this week in a good matchup against the Saints who have been playing some of the worst football in the league the last few weeks. The Saints rank 28th against tight ends in the DVOA passing metric and have also struggled to tackle in the open field. I'd make sure to get some exposure to Bowers, he could lap the field in fantasy points this week.

T.J. Hockenson ($4,500 DK, $5,700 FD)

Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers

The Vikings tight end was not on the active roster for the first meeting between these two teams, but it's a good bet that he will be utilized this week by Minnesota in an important divisional matchup at home.

Hockenson's numbers over the last four months don't stand out, but he's been targeted at least five times in every game and he's been playing 60% or more of the snaps every week. If the Packers look to take away Justin Jefferson and/or Jordan Addison, it could be Hock who finally breaks out with a big game.

This game carries the highest Vegas total on Sunday at 48.5 and is one that you're going to want multiple players from in your lineups. If you are stacking up Sam Darnold with his pass catchers, don't forget about T.J. who could pay off at a depressed price tag with a big game.

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Jake Ferguson ($3,700 DK, $5,500 FD)

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

Ferguson is coming off his best game since returning to the lineup after missing a chunk of games in the middle of the year for the Cowboys. The big man caught six of nine targets for 40 yards against Tampa Bay as the Cowboys pulled off the upset last week.

Now that CeeDee Lamb is out for the rest of the season, expect Ferguson to have an even more prominent role in the offense for the final two games. While we normally wouldn't attack the Philly defense with opposing receivers, the potential volume of targets that Ferguson should see makes up for the bad matchup.

Even if Ferguson fails to score or even pile up a big yardage total, a lot of short catches could add up quickly - especially in DraftKings full-PPR format where Ferguson's 6-40 game last week was still worth 10 DK points.

Chig Okonkwo ($3,600 DK, $5,400 FD)

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Last week Chig was a big hit as a pivot off the chalky Brenton Strange, so I hope some of you played him. He should certainly be more popular this week as he's now smashed two weeks in a row, but there's no reason not to go back to him once again in a fantastic spot.

Chig Okonkwo has back to back weeks with 10+ targets🔥

He is the TE1 over that span with 33 total fantasy points🏆

Are you firing him in your fantasy championship?👀 pic.twitter.com/SvczIuq6iF

— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) December 25, 2024

We know Jacksonville's pass defense is horrible and that they rank dead last against the TE position. We also know that Mason Rudolph under center elevates the Tennessee receivers and that he likes to get the ball out quickly and target Okonkwo on short routes, letting the freakishly athletic big man do work after the catch.

Chig is a great play again this week, don't worry about point-chasing! Fantasy points could just the same even when they are scored by players from bad teams in games that no one cares about!

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

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