Titans WR Treylon Burks (knee) returned to practice on Monday. He'd been sidelined since suffering what was reported as a sprained LCL on August 16. He now has a little less than two weeks to gear up for the season opener. Burks would be a risky fantasy play in that one, but he remains a high-upside fantasy stash.
The Athletic's Joe Rexrode recently wrote that Titans rookie RB Tyjae Spears "is going to matter" to the offense in 2023. Rexrode shares that Spears "will start the season as the third-down back" and perhaps eventually "warrant some carries and pop up in some creative looks" as part of a tandem with starter Derrick Henry. This is a notable read on the Titans' backfield, considering a second RB has yet to make a strong impression in the Henry era. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2018, Henry has led all NFL RBs in carries (1,464) and stayed above a 77.6% share of Titans RB carries in the last four seasons. Fantasy managers should still treat Spears as a handcuff for now, but there's some late-round intrigue should he emerge with a small pass-catching role. Dynasty managers must also remember Henry is set to reach free agency in 2024. See where the Titans' backs appear in our current RB rankings.
Titans HC Mike Vrabel shared on Saturday that he expects TE Chig Okonkwo to return to practice this coming week. The second-year player has been held out due to an undisclosed injury sustained on Tuesday. This news indicates the strong possibility that he'll be healthy to begin the regular season. Despite the free agent addition of WR DeAndre Hopkins, Okonkwo should still carry some quality fantasy value as a low-end TE1/high-end TE2 in 2023. We'll monitor this situation and update as more information becomes available. See where Okonkwo appears in our current TE rankings.
Titans HC Mike Vrabel said Friday after the team's final preseason game that he hasn't seen enough yet to decide who will back up QB Ryan Tannehill. Malik Willis played nearly all of the game against New England. Will Levis has missed the past two games with a minor thigh injury. "As it stands now, with Will's availability, and we'll get him back this week," Vrabel said. "But I thought that Malik took a big step yesterday. Unfortunately, you have the turnovers, but there was a lot of cool stuff that happened after that. ... Malik has to make some better decisions and we'll see where Will's at this week." It seems like Tannehill is the only Tennessee QB worth paying attention to for 2023. We'll see who hits the season as No. 2 for dynasty and superflex purposes.
Titans WR Kyle Philips is expected to miss about six weeks with a sprained MCL, insider Paul Kuharsky reports. That'll knock Philips out for the first few games of the season. He was seemingly in line to be Tennessee's starting slot receiver but wasn't a legitimate fantasy option.
Titans rookie QB Will Levis warmed up ahead of Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings but sat out the contest because of a lower-body injury sustained in practice earlier in the week. The fact that they had him test it ahead of the game points to the issue being minor. Missing the game likely didn't help Levis in his competition with Malik Willis for the No. 2 role. Willis did nothing special with his opportunity, completing 10 of 17 passes for just 85 yards (5.0 per attempt). He threw for 1 TD and 1 INT. Willis also ran for 91 yards on 11 carries. That, of course, would be his primary avenue to fantasy upside if pressed into regular-season duty. Willis has seemed to be trending at least slightly ahead of Levis for the backup job to date. He's an interesting late pick in superflex fantasy football drafts.
Chargers LB Kenneth Murray has looked like a bust through three NFL seasons, after the team drafted him in Round 1 in 2020. The Chargers declined the fifth-year option on Murray's rookie contract this April. But new DC Derrick Ansley is hopeful. “This is really going to be the year, I think, he can break out,” Ansley told The Athletic's Daniel Popper. New LBs coach Jeff Howard also made a point of connecting with Murray early, and they've made a point to simplify Murray's duties within the scheme. The LB, meanwhile, is coming off his first full, healthy offseason since entering the pros. That can only help. And veteran LB Eric Kendricks has reportedly mentored Murray since arriving as a free-agent this offseason. Murray should be so far down IDP draft boards -- likely even going undrafted in many leagues -- that he carries only upside as a fantasy prospect. We've added him to our IDP rankings after initially leaning toward rookie Daiyan Henley as the likely starter next to Kendricks.
Titans WR Treylon Burks suffered merely a LCL sprain in his left knee Wednesday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Burks "should only miss a few weeks." That seems like good news vs. what could have been, based on reports he left on a cart and wasn't putting weight on the leg. That vague timeline could give him a shot to start the regular season on time. We'll keep watching for more specifics on when Tennessee expects him back. Burks will likely still make sense in WR4 range of fantasy football drafts. Check our 2023 fantasy football rankings to see where he lands.
Titans WR Treylon Burks left the field Wednesday with the help of trainers, who were "holding his left knee," according to ESPN's Turron Davenport. Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky added that Burks was putting no weight on the leg as he got onto a cart to leave the sideline and holding his upper calf. We'll obviously be watching this situation closely for updates.
NFL Network's Stacey Dales reports that the Titans will start QB Malik Willis in the preseason opener against the Bears on Saturday night. But she adds that Willis and Will Levis will alternate "every few series" throughout the game. That setup indicates that Willis is slightly ahead of Levis but that they're clearly competing for the No. 2 role behind Ryan Tannehill. It's a particularly interesting spot because Tannehill is 35 and in the final year of his contract. If Tennessee struggles this year -- which certainly seems possible -- the team could turn to a younger option on a trial basis. Levis has been going well ahead of Willis in superflex drafts this offseason. Tannehill is the only Tennessee QB we're considering outside of superflex best ball tournaments and dynasty leagues. Even he sits low in our 2023 QB rankings, though.
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill signaled that the team will use WR Treylon Burks in a more diverse role. As a rookie, he ran 79% of his routes out wide — a major shift from his usage at Arkansas. “Now [he’s] kind of switching positions, learning the other side…and being able to move around a little bit," Tannehill said. "I think the more we can move around, the better it’s going to make our offense.” The 23-year-old profiles as a fringe WR3 to open the season.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley suffered a toe injury at Tuesday's practice, HC Doug Pederson said. Pederson added that Ridley will be limited in Wednesday's practice -- so it's clearly not a serious injury. We'll keep an eye on him, but Ridley isn't moving in our WR rankings.
According to Jaguar Report's John Shipley, Jacksonville HC Doug Pederson answered a question about camp standouts with this: "I would say Calvin Ridley, on offense. Just the way he practices, it is a different speed, different level." It's interesting to note that Ridley's 40 time back at his Scouting Combine was just 0.02 faster than Zay Jones' and 0.04 ahead of Christian Kirk's. But play speed is different from running in a straight line. Ridley sits below his ADP in our WR rankings. But he certainly leads Jaguars WRs in upside.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley says he’s not worried about learning a new playbook. “I take this stuff very seriously,” Ridley said. “I’m learning it pretty fast, I think. It’s not that hard. Just got to really study it, work hard, put in the extra hours, and it’ll be all right. I’ve played football all my life. This is normal.” The former Falcon added that he feels “100% healthy" after a year-long ban. The early returns have been promising, and there's major rebound potential alongside QB Trevor Lawrence.
Per the official team website, Cowboys RB Tony Pollard is medically cleared to begin training camp. Pollard sustained a broken fibula in the team's playoff loss to the 49ers in January and required surgery. He'll enter 2023 as the Cowboys' RB1 and play on a $10.1 million franchise tag. While it's still unclear who'll end up spelling Pollard and help shoulder the workload, this is excellent news for fantasy managers to see. We feel confident Pollard will be a stellar fantasy asset this upcoming season. See where he sits in our current RB rankings.
It's not hard to see why some fantasy football drafters are excited for Titans TE Chig Okonkwo's second season. After delivering a 94th-percentile 40 time among TEs at the Scouting Combine, Okonkwo was efficient as a rookie. Among 43 TEs who drew 30+ targets for the season, Okonkwo ranked third in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and first in yards per route. He ranked third in targets per route among all TEs who ran at least 10 routes. So what's not to like? Okonkwo's biggest question will be playing time. No Titans TE cracked 56% playing time for the season last year. No Titans TE has reached 71% in HC Mike Vrabel's five seasons. Okonkwo's per-route efficiency can combat that and still give him fantasy value, but playing time was the main drag on the fantasy value of Jonnu Smith -- a similarly enticing athlete with intriguing efficiency. Okonkwo moved slightly down our fantasy football rankings with the DeAndre Hopkins signing. He remains an upside play for 2023, as long as you don't reach for him too early. We'll also be watching reports on the role of rookie TE Josh Whyle through training camp and preseason.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley has played just five NFL games since 2020. But he delivered WR1 production the last time he reached double digits. That 2020 campaign found him ranking fourth among WRs in PPR points per game. Ridley also checked in 11th among WRs in target share that season, fourth in receiving yards, eighth in TD catches and seventh in yards per route. It marked a third-year breakout for Ridley, in a season that saw then-teammate Julio Jones miss seven games with injury. Ridley is now 28, coming off a full missed season and a five-game 2021 with a new team. He joins a Jacksonville offense that supported WR Christian Kirk ranking 23rd at his position in target share, WR Zay Jones at WR33, and Evan Engram at TE14. Ridley hits 2023 as an enigma, with questions none of us can answer before the season starts. But he sits significantly lower in our WR rankings than he does in early ADP.
WR DeAndre Hopkins is signing with the Titans, according to multiple reports. Tennessee has ranked among the front-runners for a while now and could certainly use the help at WR. Second-year WR Treylon Burks arrived in Round 1 of the draft last year and followed a disappointing 2022 with a buzzy spring. But there’s little aside from him at the position. Hopkins’ arrival will challenge the target-share upside for Burks and TE Chig Okonkwo. But it wil also clearly add upside to QB Ryan Tannehill. He has been going near-last among starting QBs throughout best ball draft season. Tennessee doesn’t sport the highest ceiling for Hopkins, who isn’t a lock to beat Burks in targets or fantasy points. Even if he does, the Titans have ranked among the league’s most run-leaning offenses under HC Mike Vrabel. See where all the Titans sit in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.
Update: Hopkins got a two-year, $26 million contract with another $3 million available in incentives each year, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The deal lands Hopkins 23rd among WRs in average annual salary.
Titans insider Jim Wyatt writes that RB Tyjae Spears “was among the team’s offseason standouts.” Wyatt specifically notes the rookie’s “shiftiness and speed.” Those traits certainly showed up on his Tulane tape. Then, Spears confirmed his exciting athleticism at the combine with a 91st-percentile vertical jump and an 87th-percentile broad jump (per MockDraftable). Currently the No. 2 RB behind Derrick Henry, Spears is a late-round handcuff worth circling on your cheat sheet.
Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official website expects a "big leap" from TE Chig Okonkwo this year. "He's had a solid offseason," Wyatt adds. Okonkwo didn't see quite enough volume to be a real fantasy factor as a rookie last season, turning 46 targets into 32 catches, 450 yards, and three TDs. But he averaged a huge 14.1 yards per catch and shined in underlying metrics like targets per route and yards per route. With very little target competition in Tennessee, Okonkwo has breakout potential in 2023.
Search
