After two weeks of ugly Thursday Night Football performances, the fantasy football gods have given us a rivalry not famous for attractive offensive football. The Jacksonville Jaguars host the Tennessee Titans hoping that they can get their first win of the season, convincing their star cornerback to stay while they’re at it.
The Jaguars entered the season full of optimism after the Blake Bortles era was mercifully put to an end. Unfortunately for them, the man who they brought in to replace him, Nick Foles, is facing an extended spell on the sideline with a broken clavicle sustained on his debut. Rookie Gardner Minshew has looked decent in his limited playing time, showing that he has the potential to keep the ship steady in Foles’ absence.
The Titans blew the doors off the preseason darling Cleveland Browns in Week 1 before falling just short against the Indianapolis Colts, leaving them at 1-1. Despite three consecutive 9-7 seasons, they’ve been unable to take that next step and become Super Bowl contenders. They’ll be hoping that Marcus Mariota can show further development – early signs are promising but promising might not be enough for the Titans as they continue to assess whether his contract is worth extending.
Start
Derrick Henry
Finding players that you want to start against the Jags defense isn’t always an easy task but there are signs that it may not be the same unit that instilled fear over the last few years. Derrick Henry has 34 carries this season to Dion Lewis’ six and is the clear focal points of the Titans offense. It’s easy to forget that Henry was in the midst of a disappointing season in 2018 before Week 14. In his second game against the Jaguars, he rushed 17 times for 238 yards and four touchdowns. While I’d bet the under on those stats this week, Henry will be heavily involved.
Delanie Walker
Delanie Walker didn’t have quite the impact in Week 2 as he did when he caught a pair of touchdowns in Week 1, but he’s still worth starting. He’s one of only eight tight ends to receive six or more targets in both games this season. At a position with so much fantasy football variance, finding a player who is one of the top receiving options on their team guarantees a safe floor. The Jaguars aren’t an easy matchup for tight ends, but they have not shown enough to scare you.
Leonard Fournette
While Leonard Fournette hasn’t been the star that you may have hoped, he’s beginning to look much more like the three-down back that he was expected to be. He has 28 of the Jaguars’ 30 non-quarterback rushing attempts this year, and his 12 targets trail only DJ Chark. The Titans have given up the seventh-most rushing yards to running backs so far this season, and in a game expected to be contested on the ground, his usage gives him both a high floor and ceiling despite an inefficient showing in Week 2.
Sit
Marcus Mariota
Despite a promising start to the season, seeing Mariota sitting at QB14 so far in fantasy football, it’s fair to question how sustainable his production is. Mariota’s PFN Offensive Share Metric (OSM) of 15.52% is 29th out of all qualifying quarterbacks, highlighting his reliance on his receivers. Given that the Jags have one of the better pass defenses in the league, it’s safe to assume that they will struggle to gain separation when running routes. This is bad news for Mariota, who has benefited from lapses in coverage so far this season.
Corey Davis
We keep telling you to hold off on playing Corey Davis fantasy owners, and this week looks like it’s going to be another one with the talented playmaker on your bench. After being shut down by Denzel Ward and the Browns in Week 1, the Colts cornerback group looked as if it could be exploited. It wasn’t to be as Davis finished with just three catches for 38 yards on five targets. With Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye waiting, it could be another fruitless game for Davis.
Dede Westbrook
Nick Foles’ fondness for targeting slot receivers lent itself to the theory that Dede Westbrook could be the Jaguars’ top receiving option. Those thoughts quickly disappeared once he went down, and with Minshew at the helm, he now appears to have settled into a role as the team’s third-choice WR. He saw five targets in Week 2, so he’s still part of the offense, but with only one catch and three yards to show for them, fantasy owners should wait to see if Westbrook’s role increases before they feel confident starting him.
Are you looking for another player? Check out our Week 3 rankings for more information!
Andy Gallagher is a writer for the Pro Football Network covering Fantasy Football. You can follow him @AndySGallagher on Twitter.
