Quarterback and tight end are two positions where gamers start only one of each in most leagues, excluding super flex formats. Sure, a tight end can fill the flex spot. However, the talent shortage at the position is suboptimal for using a tight end in the flex. In addition to starting a tight end in the flex being unwise because of the lack of talent, it increases the value of the top-shelf options. And with mobile quarterbacks racking up points on the ground and through the air, the elite signal callers are going earlier in drafts than in recent years.

Gamers who can identify breakouts at either or both positions at a fraction of the cost of the elite players at quarterback and tight end have a massive advantage in managed season-long leagues. This piece identifies an option at each position available after the 125th pick, making them enticing low-risk, high-reward choices.

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Must-Have Quarterback and Tight End

Sam Howell (QB – WAS): 190.7 ADP/240 ECR

Howell has the first crack at claiming Washington’s starting quarterback job after seeing action in only the Week 18 finale as a rookie in 2022. Jacoby Brissett won’t roll over for Howell and represents a reliable fallback option if Howell falters. However, Howell is a much more exciting option in fantasy leagues.

The second-year pro fits the bill as a Konami Code quarterback, a term coined by fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar. Howell was a dynamic runner in his final college season in 2021. The following table has the top-10 rushing yardage totals for FBS quarterbacks in the last five years via Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Howell doesn't have elite athleticism, but he was a productive runner in college. Additionally, he scampered for 35 yards and a touchdown on five attempts against the Cowboys in his only start as a rookie. So, Howell's rushing ability is the main draw for throwing a dart at him.

However, Howell was a highly effective passer in 2020. According to PFF, out of 80 FBS quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks in 2020, Howell was seventh in PFF passing grade, sixth in big-time-throw percentage (8.8 BTT%), tied for the seventh-lowest turnover-worthy-play percentage (2.2 TWP%), fifth in passing yards (3,555), fifth in yards per attempt (10.5) and sixth in touchdown passes (30).

Howell could have a favorable environment to recapture the passing success from his penultimate college season. First, Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel are a talented wide receiver corps. Second, as I discussed when highlighting McLaurin as a must-have wide receiver, Eric Bienemy could bring a fast pace and increase in passing volume to Washington's offense as their offensive coordinator. Bienemy wasn't the play caller for the Chiefs. And he doesn't have Patrick Mahomes as his trigger man.

Still, he might adopt some of the principles from Kansas City's high-octane offense in his first chance as a play caller. According to Football Outsiders, from 2020 through 2022, Washington was 14th, 20th and 31st in situation-neutral pace. Conversely, Kansas City was seventh, third and third. Furthermore, per nfelo app, the Commanders were 11th (0.6%), 22nd (-3.2%) and tied for 27th (-7.6%) in Pass Rate Over Expected (PROE) during those three seasons, and the Chiefs were first in all three years (9.5%, 9.5% and 10.8%).

Anyone who waits until after the first eight quarterbacks are chosen to pick their first should double dip and roll the dice on Howell. Moreover, gamers in leagues with active managers who make trades should consider pulling the trigger on Howell, even if they selected an elite signal caller. Howell can quickly appreciate in fantasy value and become a valuable trade chip if he comes out of the gate hot this year. Thus, Howell could have more value as a bench stash than a dart at running back, wide receiver or tight end. Again, that's only a suggestion in leagues where managers frequently trade.

Chigoziem Okonkwo (TE - TEN): 126.7 ADP/114 ECR

Okonkwo flashed his potential as a rookie in a part-time role for the Titans last year. According to PFF, out of 43 tight ends targeted at least 30 times in the regular season and the postseason in 2022, Okonkwo was third in PFF's receiving grade, first in Yards per Route Run (2.61 Y/RR), first in Yards After the Catch per Reception (7.8 YAC/REC) and was tied for the 15th-deepest average depth of target (8.0 aDOT) with Zach Ertz and George Kittle. He was also targeted on a blistering 26.2% of his 172 routes.

Per Ken Lee Platte's Relative Athletic Score (RAS), Okonkwo has elite speed and leaping ability.

Chigoziem Okonkwo was drafted with pick 143 of round 4 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 6.47 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 359 out of 1014 TE from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/n7dppjv7tI #RAS #Titans pic.twitter.com/HfztXjsnrP

- Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2022

And according to Player Profiler, Jermichael Finley is Okonkwo's best comparable. For those who aren't old enough to remember Finley, he was an effective pass-catching tight end for the Packers before injuries cut his career short. According to Pro-Football-Reference, after a quiet rookie season, Finley averaged 5.6 targets per game, 3.9 receptions per game, 48.4 receiving yards per game and caught 19 touchdowns in the next, which turned out to be the final 56 games in his career.

Okonkwo is precisely the type of upside choice gamers should pick as a fringe starter since he has a path to more opportunities in his sophomore campaign, with the departure of Austin Hooper in free agency. The second-year pro is the TE12 in half PPR average draft position (ADP). He's an ideal target for gamers double dipping on high-upside options and can be paired with Dalton Kincaid (TE14, 134.0 ADP), Tyler Higbee (TE15, 139.3), Greg Dulcich (TE16, 140.3) or Luke Musgrave (TE31, 223.3). Okonkwo is also a reasonable pick as a TE2 for anyone who waits until Darren Waller (76.0 ADP and TE7) or later to choose their first tight end.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.