The fantasy football landscape shifts each week, bringing fresh opportunities and unexpected challenges that separate the prepared from the pretenders. Savvy managers know that last week’s performance tells only part of the story, and diving deeper into the underlying metrics reveals the accurate picture.
This week presents some intriguing decisions. Here’s insight about key Tennessee Titans players heading into their matchup with the Arizona Cardinals to help you craft a winning lineup.
Cam Ward, QB
It’s impossible not to root for Cam Ward. He seems like a good kid who is in a no-win spot and is just trying to learn on the fly as best he can.
This truly feels like that Bambi meme where he’s trying to steady himself on ice. It’s uneasy, there’s flailing, and usually, he falls. But there are pockets of stability. There are glimpses into a player that I expect to be around for a long time. There is hope that this will be a franchise savior.
I do think fantasy upside is possible in the long term, so I wouldn’t go punting off those dynasty shares just because Ward finished his first month as a pro with 614 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing just 51.2% of his throws.
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He makes a reckless play or two per game that forces your mind to wonder about the future. That play came early in Houston last week with a 33-yard, cross-body, only-Brett-Favre-would-try-this shot to Elic Ayomanor.
If this team can support the former Miami star, we might have something as soon as 2026, but there’s no need to look in this direction over the next three months.
Tony Pollard, RB
Tony Pollard is checking the volume boxes (18-plus carries or multiple receptions in every game this season), but he’s not doing anything with it. And I’m not sure that changes against the seventh-best post-contact run defense in the league.
Of the 36 qualified running backs, Pollard ranks 33rd in fantasy production relative to expectations. Cam Akers has his moments, but not enough of them to impact how defenses approach this offense, and that leads me to believe that Pollard is unlikely to see his efficiency improve.
I like the fact that 14.3% of his touches over the past two weeks have come in the pass game (Weeks 1-2: 2.6%), though there isn’t enough scoring equity as a part of this offense to get him inside of my top 20, even with an elite workload.
Tyjae Spears, RB
Tyjae Spears (ankle) ran reasonably hard last year when given the chance, and by earning 15 targets in his last 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.
I’m comfortable making the second-half-of-the-season case for Spears (currently on injured reserve, but eligible to be activated), 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.
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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. Pollard is handling a ton of work (38 rushes through two weeks) and not showing much upside (long run: 10 yards).
Spears offers cheap exposure to the Cam Ward experience that you can ditch at a moment’s notice if the roster space becomes more valuable and is used differently.
Calvin Ridley, WR
The Titans made a change in play-caller ahead of Week 4, and that felt like switching from an umbrella to a poncho when dealing with a hurricane.
Tennessee didn’t score a single point against the Texans, and that left Calvin Ridley again out in the cold. Their presumptive WR1 is without a top-50 finish this season, and if Ayomanor is coming for his role as the top target in this offense, I’m not sure things will turn around in the short term.
I’m OK with being stubborn in situations like this. You didn’t plan on having Ridley as a weekly lineup lock, and you were buying some stock in the Cam Akers development project.
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That stock is on shaky ground right now, but we see these young QBs spike at a moment’s notice (see 2024 Bryce Young), so as long as you can field a competitive roster around benching Ridley, I’d keep him on the team.
Chig Okonkwo, TE
Patience is vital for the Titans to have as this Cam Ward-led unit takes their lumps, but we don’t have to be along for the ride. Chig Okonkwo managed just four yards on three targets against the Texans on Sunday and hasn’t scored a touchdown in over 10 months.
With virtually no scoring equity and only so much yardage to chase through the air in this offense as a whole (one game over 35 yards for Okonkwo), you’re better off chasing change (Theo Wander in New York) or matchup (Mason Taylor vs. Dallas) if you’re in a deeper league and need help.
