Fantasy Football Preview: Tennessee Titans Wide Receivers

NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 27: Rishard Matthews /

Tennessee Titans Wide Receivers: Fantasy Outlook

As the dust settles on a very active cut deadline over Labor Day weekend, it’s time to analyze perhaps the most ambiguous position group on the Tennessee Titans: the wide receivers. The Tennessee Titans wide receivers have been the talk of the entire offseason. From the front office to the fan blogs, everyone wanted change in the receiving corps.

Some writers believed the Titans could keep as many as seven WR’s from the likes of Eric Decker, Corey Davis, Rishard Matthews, Taywan Taylor, Harry Douglas, Tajae Sharpe, Tre McBride, and Eric Weems.

As of this writing, we know that Tre McBride has been waived and claimed by the Chicago Bears. Tajae Sharpe and Harry Douglas have been placed on IR, with Douglas being eligible to return after six weeks. And Eric Weems has been cut and re-signed. This leaves the Titans with five receivers on their active roster, and with Weems being a designated ST player, he will not be featured for fantasy relevance. Here are your Tennessee Titans wide receivers:

Rishard Matthews

Rishard Matthews have been vastly undervalued in fantasy relevance thus far. With an ADP of OVR120 and WR46, it’s almost embarrassingly naïve. Expect his 100+ target share to remain relatively stable as he’s the most likely of ALL Titans’ pass-catchers to stay healthy for 16 games.His solid season last year with QB Marcus Mariota will translate into a “safety-net” presence for the young, emerging QB.

With health, volume, consistency, and the ability to make catches like this one, expect Rishard Matthews to lead this team in targets, catches, and yards. He is a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 for me, and provides the high-floor needed to be a fantasy starter.

AND HE IS DIRT CHEAP! WR46?! Come on.

Eric Decker

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – AUGUST 12: Eric Decker /

Talk about a match made in heaven. The Titans desperately needed big bodied receiving help for Marcus Mariota. Mariota is arguably the best redzone QB in the game right now, so what does Titans GM Jon Robinson do? He goes out and signs perhaps the best redzone receiver of the past half-decade!

Eric Decker is the highest drafted Titans’ receiver in fantasy this year. Yet his ADP is still vastly too low. Going at OVR97 and WR37 just does not add up. Decker is going to catch touchdowns. He’s going to lead the Titans in touchdowns. He just might lead the NFL in touchdowns!

Yet, he is going as a WR4, which is merely a flex option in 3-WR leagues. Another oversight. With his QB YET to throw a redzone INT for his career, expect Decker to reap the benefits and catch more touchdowns than any Titans’ receiver since Drew Bennett caught 11 in 2004. I predict 13-15 TD’s for Decker, making him a very serviceable WR2.

Corey Davis

Corey Davis no matter what. Many Titans fans, including yours truly, adopted the popular phrase from the Kevin Costner movie Draft Day back during the NFL draft. GM Jon Robinson knew the Titans needed WR help, and correctly predicted a quick string of WR selections in the 2017 NFL Draft.

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The Titans owned two picks, and opted to take Davis at number five overall. Some viewed it as a reach, others applauded Robinson for getting the guy he sought after.

In any respect, all fans want now is to see Davis on the field. He was initially reported to have played in the week 4 preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Mike Mularkey decided to hold him out and go into week 1 fully healthy against the Oakland Raiders.

The bottom line is Corey Davis scares me in redraft formats this year. Having yet to suit up, with a plethora of injuries, including some not-so-minor soft tissue damage, I’m steering clear of Corey Davis in fantasy this season*.

(*Unless it’s Dynasty)

Taywan Taylor

KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 31: Wide receiver Taywan Taylor /

Speaking of dynasty league stashes, I surely hope you have Taywan Taylor on your radar. The 2017 3rd round selection out of Western Kentucky has the Titans’ staff drooling, and quite honestly befuddled.

What can they can with Taylor? A perhaps even better question is what CAN’T they do with Taywan Taylor? He can play special teams, on either side of the ball, he can run end-arounds, line up in the slot or out wide, make blocks, and even a catch or two.

Taylor isn’t being drafted in redraft formats and quite frankly, doesn’t need to be. However, he cemented himself as the WR4 on this depth chart even before Taj Sharpe went to IR. Taylor is good and will be around for a while. Expect him, along with Davis, to be a nucleus in the passing game for years with Mariota.

As long as Decker, Walker, and Matthews are on the roster, he won’t factor in much. The NFL is a business, however, and don’t be shocked if Taylor becomes the next Doug Baldwin.

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