The Tennessee Titans face a challenging Week 2 matchup that could significantly impact fantasy football decisions across multiple positions. Rookie quarterback Cameron Ward’s development will be crucial for the entire offense’s fantasy relevance this season. Tony Pollard’s workload remains substantial despite limited efficiency, while Calvin Ridley showed promising target volume in his debut. Fantasy football managers should temper expectations for most Titans players until the offense finds its rhythm.
Cameron Ward, QB
You mean Ward looked like a rookie when facing the defense that graded out as the best in the league for us last season?
I’m shocked.
The Rams aren’t a pushover, but aren’t the Broncos, making this an interesting evaluation spot.
.@Titans @Broncos @Cameron7Ward gripped it and ripped it against an elite defense. Looked confident and sure of himself to the final throw. #titanup #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/j62PfNW1ON
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 10, 2025
Chris Shula is in his second season as the DC in Los Angeles, but he’s been on this coaching staff since 2017. Over that stretch, a rookie QB has faced him eight times and thrown 20+ passes, and only three of them have reached even 13.5 fantasy points.
Ward is well off fantasy radars in redraft formats this week, and I don’t see that changing this season.
Tony Pollard, RB
The 29-yard catch was good to see.
There you go, all the optimism garnered from the Titans in Week 1.
Taking a rookie quarterback into Denver on a team short of proven playmakers would always be a tough sell, and it went to script. That 29-yard grab? It was enough for Pollard to lead the Titans in receiving for the week.
No, not the longest single catch. The leading receiver. No one on this team had 30 receiving yards.
As expected, with Tyjae Spears sidelined, Pollard carried the mail (90% of RB carries), and as expected, he had very little room to run (long run: nine yards).
Yards per carry before contact:
- 2021: 1.92 yards
- 2022: 1.40 yards
- 2023: 1.07 yards
- 2024: 0.75 yards
- Week 1: 0.33 yards
The Rams were impressive against the Texans last weekend, and while I’m still sorting out if that was more of a good Los Angeles performance or an indictment of Houston’s offensive line, it happened. They project as a tough matchup, which should have you trending off of Pollard if possible this weekend (my RB27, behind J.K. Dobbins and Bill Crosky-Merritt).
If Cam Ward develops on the fly, maybe pieces of this offense grab my attention by midseason. Until then, I’m fine with not starting anyone on this roster in standard-sized leagues.
Tyjae Spears, RB
I thought Spears (ankle) ran reasonably hard last year when given the chance, and by earning 15 targets in his previous three games, there’s something here. What “something” means isn’t clear, but this former third-round pick is in a key evaluation year–midway through his rookie deal as Pollard’s guaranteed money expires. He’s part of a team trying to climb from rock bottom with its new franchise quarterback in place.
READ MORE: Soppe’s Week 2 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
I’m comfortable making the second-half-of-the-season case for Spears (currently on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury), but not before that. The Tulane product has averaged under 10 touches per game for his career, and that’s the role I’m projecting for the short term.
If you have room on your bench/IR, stashing Spears is the play, understanding that your patience could be rewarded, but outright aggression likely won’t be.
Calvin Ridley, WR
The good news for Ridley managers is that Patrick Surtain can only play for one franchise. Tennessee’s WR1 had to deal with the best corner in the sport last week, and while he did well to earn eight targets, the 6.7 PPR points weren’t helpful.
The Rams are no picnic of a matchup, and they just bottled up Nico Collins for four quarters, but I’m OK with buying some Ridley stock right now.
The Titans receivers need to be ready at all times. Cam Ward has special arm talent, he will make throws that other quarterbacks won’t even attempt. Calvin Ridley learned that the hard way in game one. Always be ready, because it gets on you quick. pic.twitter.com/Xz67a5UaHG
— Doctor Gridiron (@DrGridiron_MD) September 8, 2025
The target volume was good to see in Cam Akers’ debut, and I believe that if he can continue to earn looks at a rate like that, he’ll return flex value more often than not.
I’m not going out of my way to play him in this spot (WR41), but if Akers continues to lock in on his lone reliable pass catcher, Ridley could crack my top-30 or so next week (vs. Colts).
Chig Okonkwo, TE
This is about where I draw the line. Anyone I rank below Chig Okonkwo isn’t on my streaming radar, and anyone in his tier (or higher) has my attention should I need help at the position.
The cliff notes of the argument are that you have a TE locked into playing time (87.3% of the snaps on Sunday) in an offense with uncertain target distribution led by the top overall pick, who is being given a long leash this year.
After Ridley, no Titan ran more routes in the season opener than Okonkwo, putting him in position to score 8-10 PPR points most weeks. I don’t see this offense scoring more than the mid-20s in points very often, which means the ceiling is limited. But you can’t have it all if you’re looking in this direction.
The Rams can create havoc, an issue for C.J. Stroud last week. The cure to that is the passing equivalent of fullback dives: quick routes to your big tight end.
We get more than three catches for 19 yards this weekend, making him a viable replacement if you’re dealing with injuries at the position.
