When former Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown was traded
to the Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft, the NFL community sensed
that Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill would have no receivers
to throw to, even though they acquired first-round receiver Treylon
Burks in the deal. As it turns out, the NFL community was right.
Tannehill played in 12 games in 2022 (multiple injuries), recording
212 completions for 2,356 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
He ranked 27th among quarterbacks in fantasy points with 200.6
overall and 16.7 per game. The lack of receivers was truly detrimental
to his season, as the Titans went 6-6 when he was in the lineup
compared to their 12-5 record the year before.
Unfortunately, the Titans didn’t make any impactful changes
to their receiving room this offseason, so Tannehill, who is nearly
35-years-old, is likely to perform similarly to 2022 (assuming
he plays 12-17 games). In fantasy football terms, he won’t
be drafted and unless his receivers make tremendous strides, he
won’t come off the waiver wire either. Rookie QB Will Levis
is waiting in the wings.
When A.J. Brown was traded, the NFL community said the entire
Titans offense will rely on Derrick Henry and they struck gold
again as Henry ran the ball more times (349) than any other running
back in the league. Henry amassed 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns
in 16 games. The power back also got involved in the pass attack
by hauling in 33 receptions for 398 yards. Henry recorded the
fourth-most fantasy points among running backs with 304.6 overall
and 19.0 per game.
The running back position is being devalued by the league right
now making true workhorse backs hard to come by. There are only
a few elite ones, while the rest are interchangeable. Luckily
for the Titans, Henry is one of those elites and is expected to
stay in that tier this season.
It’s uncertain if 2022’s No.3 fantasy RB Josh Jacobs
will replicate his anomaly of a season, but No. 1 Austin Ekeler
and No. 2 Christian McCaffrey should maintain their status due
to their receiving abilities. If head coach Mike Vrabel continues
to use Henry in the passing game, the running back is capable
of finishing No. 1 in fantasy. His age (29) and perhaps more importantly
the workload is starting to become a concern and Henry as piled
up three seasons of over 300 carries. Still, the TD upside and
projected volume makes him an easy Top 10 running back selection.
Henry’s contract ends after the upcoming season and it’s
uncertain if he’ll stay in Tennessee. The Titans likely
selected Tulane running back Tyjae Spears in the third round of
the 2023 NFL Draft as a safety net if Henry walks.
Spears led the American Athletic Conference in all rushing stat
categories in 2022, recording 229 attempts for 1,581 yards and
19 touchdowns. Tulane shocked the college football world this
season by finishing with a 12-2 record and beating USC in an historic
comeback in the Cotton Bowl as Spears rushed for 205 yards and
four touchdowns on just 17 attempts.
Just because Derrick Henry… is well… Derrick Henry, Spears probably
won’t see the gridiron on Sundays much this season. However, if
Henry walks, Spears has the potential to be considered the most
underrated running back heading into 2024. With that being said,
Spears isn’t likely to be drafted in most fantasy leagues this
season, but could be a late-round flier and handcuff option should
Henry get hurt.
Burks had pressure put on him the second the Titans traded up
for him in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 11 games (multiple injuries),
the rookie hauled in 33 receptions for 444 yards and a touchdown.
He only had one game above 70 yards, when he put up 111 in Week
11 against the Green Bay Packers.
Burks finished with 88.1 points last season, the 81st-most among
all NFL receivers. However, he’s expected to make tremendous
strides this season as the Titans traded wide receiver Robert
Woods this offseason, making Burks their WR1. The former Arkansas
Razorback recorded 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns just a couple
years ago at school and now he’ll hopefully come close to
replicating those numbers in 2023.
If Tannehill can shake off his injuries from 2022 and play similarly
to how he did in 2021, Burks has the potential to achieve those
goals. Burks is currently hovering in the WR30 range according
to ADP. This would translate to him being a WR3, FLEX or first
bench option in fantasy drafts, which seems logical given he’s
the obvious main target in a weak receiving group for the Titans.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine only recorded one game over 60 receiving
yards last season. It just so happens that one game (Week 10 against
the Broncos) was the best of his career, hauling in five receptions
for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
Including that one-hit wonder, Westbrook-Ikhine only had 25 receptions
for 397 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games last season. His
82.7 fantasy points were the 89th-most fantasy points among receivers
as he averaged just 5.5 per game.
Since Treylon Burks will get most of the targets and Henry will
be fed the ball 20-plus times per game, Westbrook-Ikhine will
likely have similar numbers to last season given the expected
low passing volume. Don’t count on the Titans WR2 being
drafted in fantasy leagues, but he will be picked up off the waiver
wire if Burks gets injured.
Kyle Phillips was the Titans’ fourth receiver last season
and only played in four games, recording eight receptions for
78 yards. Like Burks, Phillips was also a rookie last season as
the Titans drafted him with the 163rd overall pick in 2022. Phillips
was very solid at UCLA, putting up 59 receptions for 739 yards
and 10 touchdowns in his final year.
Phillips is hoping to put up similar numbers, but it’ll be all
but impossible with the lack of targets in this offense. At best
he’ll be third in the pecking order for Tannehill behind Burks
and TE Chigoziem Okonkwo. As a result, he won’t be drafted in
fantasy leagues this season but since he’s likely to earn the
starting job as the slot receiver, Phillips is someone to keep
an eye in on PPR leagues should he hold onto his role for the
entire season.
Chigoziem Okonkwo has been a popular breakout candidate among
fantasy analysts. In his 2022 rookie campaign, Okonkwo hauled
in 32 receptions for 450 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games.
He had the 25th-most fantasy points among tight ends in his rookie
campaign, but headed into 2023, don’t be surprised if he
becomes the Titans second option in the passing game given the
lack of depth Tennessee has at the receiver position.
When Tannehill finds him down low, Okonkwo may thrive as he averaged
the most yards per catch (14.1) among all starting tight ends
last season. His big-play ability and athleticism is intriguing
which makes him a nice target if you skip the top tier options
at the position. FFToday ranks him 14th among tight ends for 2023.
This is a fair placement for the breakout star as he’s expected
to be above average in year 2.
