Tennessee Titans
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota has been a disappointment since the Tennessee Titans invested the second overall pick on him in the 2015 NFL Draft. His passing yards and touchdowns have declined in each of the past three seasons and Ryan Tannehill was brought in to provide competition.
That said, he’s coming off his most accurate passing season and the most rushing attempts and yards of his career, despite missing two games. We’ve seen less capable passers have fantasy football success due to their rushing ability. The Titans have tried to give Mariota more help, and entering a contract year, there’s no better time than the present. Mariota shouldn’t be considered as a starter for your fantasy team at this stage but could be worth a dart throw later on in the draft.
Derrick Henry
Few players have seen their fantasy outlook change as drastically in such a short space of time as Derrick Henry. Stuck in a timeshare in a bad offense, Henry was disappointing owners for the third consecutive year until the Titans decided to make him the focal point of their offense.
From Week 13 onwards, Henry was the RB1, racking up 113.3 points in standard scoring. Chris Carson, the RB2, had 89.1. Henry looks set to be handed a heavy workload. If he can show that he can contribute as a pass-catcher, then he should be a top 10 running back.
Corey Davis
Corey Davis is yet to show himself to be the wide receiver that many thought he could be when he was drafted. Inconsistency has been the word most associated with him, as fantasy owners try to work out whether he’s the player who torched the Philadelphia Eagles for 161 yards and a touchdown or the one who failed to reach 50 receiving yards on ten different occasions.
The Titans brought in Adam Humphries and drafted A.J. Brown. That, combined with Delanie Walker’s return from injury, should open up some easier matchups for Davis, who will no longer be the sole pass-catching threat on the Titans offense. He’d be an intriguing WR3 for your team with the upside to be far more; he just needs to ensure that he shows his downside less frequently.
Sleepers
Thirty-five-year-olds coming off serious injuries don’t tend to be great fantasy football players, but Delanie Walker has been producing ever since he joined the Titans. Walker led the team in receiving in 2017 and has built up nice chemistry with Mariota. If you’re looking for a late-round player with the potential to finish as a top 10 tight end, then Walker might just be your man.
Dion Lewis looks to be the victim of Henry’s success and will likely begin the season as a pass-catching back. He should still see some carries and his value will increase dramatically if Henry misses time or returns to the inconsistencies of his past.
Adam Humphries surprised by becoming a viable fantasy football starter in his last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Titans are unlikely to score as many points as the Bucs, but Humphries should see an increase in targets now that he’s not having to compete with the same level of talent.
Andy Gallagher is a fantasy football writer for PFN. Follow him on twitter @AndySGallagher
