Tennessee Titans – Week One Recap
For the Tennessee Titans week two preview, we can make some assumptions based on last week’s play. As we look back at the Titans underwhelming first game of the 2017-18 season against the Oakland Raiders, we were able to learn a lot.
Marcus Mariota’s leg is fine. Corey Davis appears to be healthy and downright special. The offense sputtered far too often in the red zone. Lastly, the offense of the Titans will have to be able to win games for this team.
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, this offense will need to be firing on all cylinders early and often. I fully expect that to be the case, as both Tennessee and Jacksonville will have a lot to offer in terms of fantasy production in week 2.
Marcus Mariota
Last Week’s Stat-line: 25/41 – 256 yards – 0:0 TD:INT – 3 carries – 26 yards – 1 TD
Mariota scored Tennessee’s lone touchdown with his legs on a beautiful read option that was setup with plenty of off-tackle runs on that drive. I think everyone can agree, ideally Mariota should not have to throw the ball 41 times in any game, so expect the volume to dip there.
However, Mariota’s career stat-line versus the Jaguars (60/86 – 769 yards – 5:1 TD:INT – 17 carries – 149 yards – 2 TD) makes him an intriguing QB1 for me this week.
Verdict: START
DeMarco Murray
Last Week’s Stat-line: 12 carries – 44 yards – 0 TD
Among those who underwhelmed week one, you’d have to consider DeMarco Murray among those on that list. Despite many calling for Derrick Henry to start (who should NOT be started in fantasy), Murray remains the best back on this roster. The Jaguars might have a stout defense on paper, but I expect this game to be a high scoring affair.
Murray isn’t the RB1 you drafted, but he will put up RB2 numbers this week.
Verdict: START
Corey Davis
Last Week’s Stat-Line: 6 receptions – 69 yards – 0 TD
Corey Davis wowed everyone watching him with his first catch of his career last Sunday. He then proceeded to receive 10 targets and catch 6 of those, many of which were 3rd down receptions. I, personally wasn’t sure when or how he’d be used, but after week one, it’s safe to say he will lead this receiving corps in catches this year.
Even with Ramsey potentially being out, Jacksonville has enough talent in the secondary to give Tennessee pass-catchers fits. With it only being week 2, we’ll have to see how target-shares play out. Davis is a WR3 for me.
Verdict: START
Rishard Matthews
Last Week’s Stat-line: 5 receptions – 71 yards – 0 TD
Matthews quietly led all Titans’ wide-receivers in yards against Oakland. Where I missed with Davis, I hit on Matthews predicting his rapport with Mariota would propel him into a highly targeted safety blanket role. Matthews will continue to see steady targets making him an attractive PPR play almost every week.
Against Jacksonville this week, look for another 4-6 catch performance for Matthews somewhere in the 50-65 yard range. That’s a WR4 for me, which makes him a flex starter in my formats.
Verdict: START
Eric Decker
Last Week’s Stat-line: 3 receptions – 10 yards – 0 TD
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Eric Decker, along with DeMarco Murray, vastly let down fantasy owners last week. What made his performance particularly disappointing was the fact that he led ALL offensive skill players (RB-WR-TE) in snaps with 60. Unfortunately, 3 catches on 60 snaps is not going to gain fantasy nor NFL relevance anytime soon.
Decker will play a large role with this team from a leadership standpoint and red zone presence. Until the Titans restore their offensive identity and begin instill fear into their opponents, Decker needs to remain on your fantasy bench.
Verdict: SIT
Delanie Walker
Last Week’s Stat-line: 7 receptions – 76 yards- 0 TD
What can I tell you about Delanie Walker that you don’t already know? The guy is a stud, and his 53 snaps were only behind Eric Decker last Sunday. If you drafted or traded for Walker, kudos. You’ve got a dependable TE1 on your roster for the foreseeable future.
This week and EVERY week, Delanie needs to be in your lineup.
Verdict: START
Next: FanDuel Week 2 NFL Picks and Pivots
Best of luck in Week 2 of the Fantasy Football season and stay tuned to all your fantasy sports coverage here at Fantasy CPR!