The Tennessee Titans‘ fantasy outlook appears quite a bit different than it did this time last season. For the first time since 2016, they’ve added a weapon to the passing game and changed up their ground attack. Should fantasy football managers now consider this a team with strong options, or is this conservative offense still going to struggle with consistency?
Tennessee Titans Fantasy Depth Chart
QB
Will Levis, Mason Rudolph, Malik Willis
RB
Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Hassan Haskins
WR1
DeAndre Hopkins, Treylon Burks, Colton Dowell
WR2
Calvin Ridley, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Mason Kinsey
WR3
Tyler Boyd, Kyle Philips, Jha’Quan Jackson
TE
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Josh Whyle
Will Levis’ Fantasy Outlook
Will Levis’ arm strength was on full display during a numerically impressive debut against the Falcons (238 yards and four scores on 29 attempts), though it was clear during that game that he was raw.
The home runs he hit during that game weren’t the most sustainable of plays, and water found its level the rest of the way. His next 226 attempts resulted in just four touchdowns (and four interceptions).
I’m encouraged by the Titans aggressively adding another downfield option in Calvin Ridley this offseason as they look to tailor the offense around their 2023 second-round pick, but we’re still a ways away from Levis mattering in redraft circles.
Could he expose the right matchup when your starter is on a bye? It’s not off the table, but in the scope of the season as a whole, Levis is not a top-20 option and only needs to be considered by Superflex managers electing to punt on their OP spot in favor of building up elsewhere.
Tony Pollard’s Fantasy Outlook
If you want a polarizing statistical profile, Tony Pollard is your guy. He thrived in 2022 at a level few have (Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and Jonathan Taylor), but was as disappointing as any player in all of the fantasy landscape last season when you take his opportunity into consideration.
Pollard is entering his age-27 season, and while that may feel like the back end of his prime in terms of the RB age curve, don’t forget that his usage was limited through his first three seasons. He has just under 1,000 career touches to his name.
I’m not as worried about Pollard’s physical status as I am about his overall role. Yes, he’s my highest-ranked Titans running back, but this is a below-average offense that isn’t going to generate near the scoring opportunities that Pollard experienced in Dallas last season.
Tony Pollard is LOOSE for 6️⃣0️⃣ yards❕ pic.twitter.com/xk19SUSwU2
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 17, 2023
Pollard was able to turn 307 touches into just six scores, putting him at risk of a near-unusable fantasy season should both his touch count and quality of touch regress in a major way as a result of joining Tennessee.
All of that said, Pollard still averages 4.8 yards per carry for his career and currently projects to have the lead role in an offense that, hopefully, is on the rise. He’s obviously a very different player, but Henry scored a dozen times as this backfield’s lead dog a season ago, so casting off Pollard outright is irresponsible.
MORE: Consensus Dynasty Rankings
You do need to understand, however, that Henry was in a timeshare (even if not a touch share) with Tyjae Spears, a running back who carries third-round NFL Draft capital with him and showed just fine when given the opportunity as a rookie (5.5 yards per touch).
Pollard is best viewed as a Flex play at the moment, one that comes with a wide range of outcomes. He could prove to be a steal in the seventh round, but he could also be running second in this average offense. Be careful, but the price currently does seem to offer more reward than risk.
Tyjae Spears’ Fantasy Outlook
The Titans weren’t shy in getting Spears on the field during his first season. However, the aforementioned Henry was being handed the ball essentially every snap he took, thus limiting the fantasy appeal of this Tulane product.
Spears showed flashes, though, and earning the trust of an organization enough to be on the field in any capacity as a rookie behind a Hall of Fame RB is certainly noteworthy. Pollard’s signing tells me that Tennessee still isn’t comfortable with Spears handling significant volume or, at the very least, they want to ease him into such a role after recording double-digit carries just once last season.
#Titans rookie RB Tyjae Spears scores his first career #NFL touchdown! 🔥
Tennessee has a LEGIT back behind Derrick Henry 👀 pic.twitter.com/1wykYyhQ15
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 8, 2023
I’d expect Spears to open the season with a modest workload and see his role grow with time if he shows well. Pollard was inked to a three-year deal this offseason, a move that indicates that a committee approach is what Tennessee is aiming for. But if he struggles like he did last season, a quick flip in who holds the touch edge is certainly possible.
Personally, I chase role stability from my running backs in the middle rounds and upside at the receiver position later on. Thus, Spears’ name isn’t one that has been on many of my rosters early in the process.
That said, if you’re executing a Zero RB build or open your draft with two solid bell cows before loading up on pass catchers, Spears is a logical play after 100-ish players are off the board.
By no means is Spears a bad pick. I just fear that the Titans are as committed to Pollard as they are to him, which limits Spears’ role upside barring an injury to a reasonably durable starter.
DeAndre Hopkins’ Fantasy Outlook
We know that the WR position ages with more grace than running back, and that’s the hope for fantasy managers banking on DeAndre Hopkins in his age-32 season. The stat line when all was said and done in 2023 was perfectly fine (75-1,057-7) given the circumstances, but much of that production came in four games.
- Top four performances: 24 catches for 467 yards and five TDs
- Other 13 games: 51 catches for 590 yards and two TDs
Those sorts of splits are concerning and, for me, rule Hopkins out of the “I’m starting him every week” conversation, especially with the addition of a similar receiver in Ridley, who will soak up some of that downfield usage.
#Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins is coming ALIVE with Will Levis at QB 😳
The rookie-vet connection is heating up 🔥
3 touchdowns on the day!
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 29, 2023
It’s rare that a player gains yards per catch as he ages, but Hopkins proved to be an exception by averaging 14.1 yards per grab a season ago — his most since 2017. That, for the most part, was a product of a raw Levis relying on his arm strength to smooth out his transition to the NFL.
I’d expect that to dial back a bit in 2024, and while that keeps Hopkins’ upside in check, it should help elevate a floor that was concerningly low due to a 54.7% catch rate.
For my money, there are better floor/ceiling plays in the WR30-40 range in which Hopkins is generally being valued (Terry McLaurin and Jayden Reed highlight those in this neighborhood based on early fantasy football ADP).
Calvin Ridley’s Fantasy Outlook
Similar to Hopkins, Ridley’s year-end stat line in 2023 was a bit deceiving. Despite clearing 1,000 yards, Ridley was held to 40 or less in the majority of his games. To make matters worse, the team that he did most of his damage against is his current employer.
Per 17-game numbers from 2023, if you remove games vs. TEN
- 71 catches
- 915 yards
- 6 touchdowns
Those are fine numbers, but nothing special. That’s not much different than what Tyler Lockett or Jakobi Meyers offered up in 2023, two players going 3+ rounds later in drafts right now than Ridley despite them staying in the same offense.
Ridley optimists will point to his nearly two-year absence from the NFL being the cause for last season’s inconsistencies. While I don’t disagree, his downgrade in pedigree under center this season could negate his regaining of comfort in playing at the professional level.
I’m viewing Ridley’s finishing numbers from last season (76-1,016-8) on the high end of 2024 expectations. The physical gifts are there, and there’s room for growth should Father Time chase down Hopkins. But the upside profile is much cleaner for the receivers I mentioned liking over Hopkins than for Ridley.
Ridley is my highest-ranked Titan entering 2024, but don’t confuse that as me considering him a weekly staple in fantasy lineups.
Chigoziem Okonkwo’s Fantasy Outlook
The athletic profile of Chigoziem Okonkwo is enough to keep him on radars. If you wait to address the position, your dart throws flames out, and you’re piecing together TEs on a week-to-week basis.
Fantasy managers have been seduced by the physical tools but have yet to be rewarded (86 catches in 34 career games with just one score on 77 targets a season ago) and don’t need to invest draft capital in trying for a third straight season to make Okonkwo happen.
He didn’t reach 40 yards receiving in a game until after Thanksgiving in 2023. And with Ridley’s addition — not to mention more pass-catching equity coming out of the backfield — the volume seems more likely to take a step back than a step forward.
If you see something from this physical specimen early in the season, say something. But for now, he doesn’t need to be anywhere near your 2024 cheat sheets.
Fantasy Sleeper: Treylon Burks
Receivers who stand over 6’ tall with first-round pedigree — it’s almost like the Titans have a type that they’re comfortable with.
Burks has caught one touchdown pass during his two NFL seasons, hauling in just 49 balls for 665 yards in the process (22 games). The production is obviously lacking, but the story is far from finished for this 24-year-old who was compared to A.J. Brown coming out of Arkansas.
That’s not to say that he’s going to see regular targets from the jump in 2024. He won’t.
But when I’m digging through depth charts and looking for value, I want a player with a skill set that mirrors those ahead of him. Do I think Burks overtakes Ridley for the WR2 role? Nope. But if he or Hopkins were to go down with an injury, Tennessee’s offense wouldn’t have to change because Burks has those types of physical traits drastically.
KEEP READING: Dynasty Rookie Rankings
The Titans signed Tyler Boyd in early May to fill their slot role, a roster move that moves Burks down the depth chart a touch, but doesn’t really change his path to production — he’s a talented handcuff with draft capital working in his favor and giving this organization an excuse to give him looks should the opportunity present itself.
Burks is a target of mine late in Best Ball drafts. I’m not willing to write him off, and with a pair of receivers past their physical prime sitting ahead of him in the target hierarchy, there’s hope in his third season. Levis could take a big step forward in Year 2, adding upside to Burks’ profile, one that will cost you nothing on draft day to speculate on.