Five Biggest Questions:
1. Can Will Levis be a top-18 QB?
2. Are Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard (or both) top-30 RBs?
3. Are Calvin Ridley or DeAndre Hopkins (or both) top-35 WRs?
4. Are Treylon Burks or Tyler Boyd (or both) at all draftable?
5. Will Chigoziem Okonkwo be a top-18 TE?
A couple years ago, a Titans fan asked me a pointed public question--something to the extent of "Why do you hate Tennessee so much?" I looked back on my pieces about Ryan Tannehill, Robert Woods, etc. and understood what he was talking about. At the time they were around 6-3 and seemingly headed for another playoff run. But their schedule was about to turn brutal, while the young Jaguars were starting to come together after a series of close losses and some impressive wins.
But my overall view of the Titans was that they were a collection of overrated fantasy players. Aside from Derrick Henry, there was nothing to get excited about. Tennessee lost their final seven games that season, opening the door to a transitional 2023 campaign, and now a second consecutive transitional campaign.
As with many teams, so many Tennessee fantasy fortunes hinge on Will Levis's arm. At times he flashed as a rookie; at other times he looked like the quarterback so many teams passed on in the first round of last year's draft. Already 25 years old, he probably has one more year to prove he's a franchise QB. After throwing four TD passes in his debut against the Falcons, Levis mostly stumbled through his final eight starts. His September schedule consists of the Bears, Jets, Packers, and Dolphins. The good news is that he probably won't be benched for Mason Rudolph or Malik Willis. The bad news is that a slow start against above-average competition might rattle a team that must thread the needle to be successful.
Henry's offseason departure and Tony Pollard's arrival has be viewed, of course, as a net negative. But the real negative is that managers can't be confident about Pollard (RB29 ADP) and Tyjae Spears (RB31 ADP) splitting touches. As some of you might remember, I was more bullish about Spears last summer than any other "undraftable" RB. Unlike Pollard, Spears entered the NFL with bell cow experience. While it's still early, I'm more comfortable betting on Spears' upside than on Pollard's upside.
Meanwhile, the receiving corps is probably among the league's oldest. DeAndre Hopkins (33) and new arrival Calvin Ridley (29) will try to elevate Levis, and vice versa. Hopkins has shown he still has juice, and Ridley made a remarkable return last season after nearly two years away. But Hopkins' alpha status probably won't hold up alongside Ridley, and Ridley--who's accustomed to catching passes thrown by Matt Ryan and Trevor Lawrence--will need to gel quickly with a still questionably effective Levis. I'm fading both wideouts.
The remaining WR scraps will fall to Treylon Burks and/or Tyler Boyd. If you believe in draft pedigree (and let's face it, exceptional college talent), Burks is a monster buy at his WR119 ADP. Although many high-priced WRs have flopped in the NFL, Burks has been marred most by injuries. If/when healthy, he can be a top-80 WR, even in a minor role. And if Ridley or the aged Hopkins gets hurt, Burks would be the ultimate nothing-to-lose lottery ticket.
At TE, Chigoziem Okonkwo wasn't markedly better or worse with Levis under center last year vs. Tannehill. He's your typical high-floor, low-ceiling option, hovering around the top 20-24 range. In other words, unless you're in an 18-team league, there aren't many convincing reasons to draft him.
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