Two of the most perplexing names in football for fantasy managers and bettors this season belonged to the Tennessee Titans wide receiver duo. A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, whether because of injury or otherwise, were massively disappointing for fantasy this season. In DFS and/or playoff fantasy football leagues, what should we expect from the Titans receivers?
A.J. Brown has caused a roller coaster of emotions in fantasy
Between Weeks 6-8, Brown had 25 receptions for 379 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Outside of those three weeks, Brown hadn’t topped 5 receptions or 49 receiving yards in any game this year prior to Week 16.
Since then, Brown has had a couple of performances that more closely resemble what was expected out of him this year. In Week 16, Brown turned a whopping 16 targets into 11 receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown and looked like an elite WR1. He was positively dominant.
In Week 17, he crashed back down to earth with only 2 receptions for 41 yards. Then, in Week 18, he split the difference, catching 4 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
I have no idea who Brown is this year. Some weeks, he can look like the best wide receiver in football, and others, he can be entirely invisible in Tennessee’s offense. The upside is absolutely there, but the instability is enough to drive you mad.
Julio Jones hasn’t been the same since leaving Atlanta
Jones has only played in 10 games this year because of recurring hamstring injuries, and it took until the last week of the regular season for him to get his first touchdown with his new team. It was also his most targeted game this season. He received 9 looks, catching 5 of them for 58 yards to go along with the score.
Jones finished the year with only 31 catches for 434 yards and the lone touchdown. It was the fewest receptions, yards, and touchdowns of any season of his career. In fact, in 2013, he bested those numbers in only five games compared to the 10 he played in this year.
Fantasy playoff outlooks for Jones and Brown
The Titans are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, meaning they’ll have home-field advantage and a first-round bye. Therefore, we currently don’t know their first playoff matchup, but they won’t be able to contribute to your fantasy leagues until the second round.
Brown is probably going as a screaming discount after his inconsistent season, but there’s a real possibility he can return high-end WR2 production when the Titans do take the field for the first time. Jones, on the other hand, is nothing more than a WR4/5.