Chigoziem Okonkwo's move to Washington left Tennessee with tight end routes to replace, not a free fantasy starter.
Gunnar Helm is listed first on the Titans' public tight end depth chart, Chigoziem Okonkwo is now in Washington, and the price sits late enough that one good camp note could move the room. The move is still simple: stash Helm after pick 150 in premium-scoring or deep-bench drafts, but don't spend a standard one-TE pick before the routes show up.
The question isn't whether Helm is interesting. He is. The question is whether your league pays you to hold a tight end who might need August, September, and a couple of waiver-wire decisions before the role becomes startable.
That table is the whole draft-room fork. In a shallow league, a late tight end has to beat the streamers quickly. With premium tight end scoring, a four-catch afternoon can matter even if the box score doesn't look exciting. We don't need Helm to be a star to justify a bench spot there. We do need him to run routes.
The case starts with the vacancy. Official transaction data has Okonkwo moving from Tennessee to Washington, and the current public depth chart has Helm first for the Titans while Okonkwo is listed first for the Commanders. That isn't the same as inheriting production, but it does give Tennessee a real receiving job to replace.
Okonkwo's old Tennessee role was useful enough to notice. From Weeks 16-18, he averaged 6.7 targets, a 21.6 percent target share, and 11.0 PPR points. That's not elite tight end math. It's the kind of middle-field work that keeps the position from becoming a pure touchdown prayer when your starter is on bye.
The format decides the click
| League Setting | Helm Move | What You're Buying | What Breaks It |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-team, one-TE PPR | Wait. | A depth-chart note you can monitor for free. | The waiver wire still has similar touchdown bets. |
| 12-team, one-TE PPR with deep benches | Last-round stash. | A cheap path to first-team routes if Tennessee simplifies the room. | Daniel Bellinger or TE3 Kylen Granson taking the passing downs. |
| TE-premium or two-TE builds | Stash after pick 150. | Extra value on any four-catch week. | Helm staying near a two-target profile in camp. |
| Best ball with late TE slots | Mix in lightly. | Occasional spike weeks without start-sit pain. | Tennessee using him mostly as an inline body. |
Helm's proof is lighter. From Weeks 15-17, he averaged 3.0 targets and a 10.6 percent target share while playing about 59 percent of Tennessee's offensive snaps. The clearest usage moment came in Week 17: 58 percent of the snaps and two targets. He was on the field. The ball wasn't following him yet.
That's why the cleanest comp is the job Okonkwo just left, not some generic summer sleeper who climbs because the depth chart looks tidy. Helm has to turn a part-time receiving profile into the six-target stretch Tennessee already showed it can feed a tight end. If he only owns the first line on the depth chart, that's a grocery cart with one good wheel: technically moving, but not something you want steering your draft plan.
The offense keeps the door open and adds the risk at the same time. Tennessee threw on 65.6 percent of its plays last season, including 61.7 percent in the red zone, but the pass game also averaged negative EPA and took 3.3 sacks per game. Empty dropbacks can create quick throws to a tight end. They can also turn every route into a checkdown that arrives late, short, or not at all.
That's where scoring format matters. In TE premium, three catches and a red-zone target can be enough to justify holding the card. In a 10-team PPR league, that same line gets you yelled at by your bench while another manager streams a touchdown. We've all chased the late tight end who was one route spike away for six straight weeks. Don't make that your standard-league plan before Tennessee gives you a better reason.
Okonkwo's new price shows the other side of the bet. At publication, he is TE23 in PPR with an ADP around 137. Washington gives him the top tight end listing, but its 2025 profile was more balanced than Tennessee's: a 59.6 percent pass rate and a red-zone split that leaned run. If you want route history, Okonkwo has more of it. If you want a cheaper vacancy play, Helm is the bet that doesn't require pretending the role is solved.
Kyle Pitts is the veteran contrast. At publication, he is TE8 in PPR with an ADP around 73, and his late-season usage looked like a real feature role: 8.6 targets, a 27.3 percent target share, and 18.9 PPR points per game over the final month. That's what paying for visible usage looks like. Helm is cheaper because the opening is visible and the production isn't.
So here is the falsifiable call: don't draft Helm before pick 150 in standard one-TE PPR leagues. If he is still there in the final two rounds of a deep-bench draft, or in a premium-scoring room where tight end catches are scarce currency, take the stash over a final bench lottery ticket that needs three injuries to see real snaps.
The wrong-case is not complicated. Bellinger can take inline work, Granson can steal the easy routes, and Helm can stay near 60 percent of the snaps without earning enough first reads. If August shows a committee instead of a route-heavy role, cut the idea before your bench gets sentimental.
The positive path is just as clear. First-team routes in two-minute work, repeated red-zone looks, and a preseason drive where the quarterback finds Helm on a stick route or a seam against zone would change the price fast. In one-TE leagues, wait for that evidence. In premium-scoring builds, buy the opening cheaply and grade the first two weeks hard.
Helm is not a standard-league need yet. He's the late tight end you draft only when your scoring settings make patience profitable.
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