Titans take Willis

The Titans stopped Liberty QB Malik Willis’ slide, taking him with the 86th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Willis began his college career at Auburn before transferring to Liberty and starting the past 2 years. Willis threw for 47 TDs vs. just 18 INTs over that span, but it’s the rushing that drives his fantasy outlook. Willis racked up 1,822 rushing yards over his 2 starting campaigns and profiles similar to Jalen Hurts. Willis will sit behind QB Ryan Tannehill this year, but Tannehill turns 34 in July and has a $36.6 million cap hit in 2023. Willis has a good chance to be Tennessee’s 2023 starter.

Titans HC Mike Vrabel said Tuesday that he anticipates both QBs Malik Willis and Will Levis playing vs. the Falcons this weekend if QB Ryan Tannehill is out. Vrabel wasn't ready to rule Tannehill out yet, but he seems unlikely to play after suffering a high-ankle sprain two weeks ago. Playing both Willis and Levis would be good for absolutely no one. You should try to avoid the Titans passing game in Week 8 fantasy lineups.

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.

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 Malik Willis went 14-of-23 passing in Saturday's loss to the Texans, tallying just 99 yards (4.3 per attempt) with 0 TDs and 2 INTs. WR Robert Woods was the only Titan with more than 2 receptions, catching all 4 of his targets for 30 yards. Willis will start at least 1 more game Thursday night against the Cowboys.

The Titans are releasing QB Logan Woodside. That leaves rookie Malik Willis as the only other QB on the roster besides Ryan Tannehill. We'll see about any other moves, but it looks like the rookie will hit the season as Tannehill's backup. That puts him 1 injury away from being interesting for fantasy.