After their offense operated at an elite level in 2019 and 2020, the Tennessee Titans have taken steps backwards in each of the past two seasons, with the offense hitting rock bottom in 2022.
There was a lot that went into that fall from grace, as the unit was riddled with injuries, poor play from the offensive line and receivers, and absolutely dreadful play-calling from offensive coordinator Todd Downing.
Thankfully, the Titans have made significant changes to two of those problem areas this offseason, as the team replaced Downing with Tim Kelly and added three new starters to the offensive line.
One area where the Titans did not make significant changes was in the receiving corps., but as you’ll see shortly, Tennessee does have a pair of intriguing young pass-catchers who are poised for breakout seasons.
When taking everything into consideration, there are four Titans who stand the best chance at emerging as viable options for fantasy managers in 2023. They are as follows:
QB Ryan Tannehill
The wheels fully came off the Titans’ offense in 2022, and particularly in the passing game, where Tennessee sported one of the worst in the NFL.
Tannehill wasn’t perfect by any means and he can no doubt shoulder some of the blame, but his dip in production wasn’t squarely on him.
On top of missing five games with an ankle injury, Tannehill also had to overcome an offensive line that couldn’t block, a receiving corps. that couldn’t get open, and an offensive coordinator who simply stunk.
Tennessee has since completely revamped its offensive line, and the good news is the current group couldn’t be any worse than the one in front of Tannehill last season, so he should get better protection by default.
The receiving corps. still lacks depth and has plenty of question marks, but second-year pass-catchers Treylon Burks and Chigoziem Okonkwo flashed in their rookie seasons and are primed for breakout campaigns.
Adding to that, Tennessee is one of the frontrunners for DeAndre Hopkins, who would greatly bolster Tannehill’s group of weapons through the air.
Lest we forget, Tannehill has shown he’s capable of being a very good option under center for fantasy managers when everything is going right on offense for Tennessee.
In 2019, Tannehill finished as QB3 overall from Week 7 when he made his first start to the end of the season. In 2020, his first full season as a starter with the Titans, Tannehill finished as QB7.
Even in what was considered a down year for him in 2021, Tannehill was a viable every-week starter in 12-team leagues, finishing as QB12 overall.
The potential is there for Tannehill to get back on track and return to the kind of production he saw over his first three seasons in Nashville, making him a potential sleeper late in drafts and a great option for owners who roster two quarterbacks to use in rotation.
RB Derrick Henry
People have been trying to write Henry’s career obituary since he suffered a freak foot injury that sidelined him for half the 2021 season, but the superstar running back still produced at a high level in 2022.
Despite having a putrid offensive line in front of him and a passing game that took zero pressure off, Henry still managed to rack up over 1,500 rushing yards, 1,900 total yards, and 13 touchdowns, finishing as RB4 overall.
The biggest knock on Henry’s game over the years has been his lack of involvement in the passing game, but he posted career-bests in targets (41), receptions (33) and yards (398) last season.
It remains to be seen if Henry will be as involved in the passing game with a new offensive coordinator in Tim Kelly.
But even if that doesn’t happen, his status as the engine of the Titans’ offense remains unchanged and he will still see plenty of volume and production on the ground, keeping him among the best and safest options for fantasy managers to build their teams around in re-draft leagues.
WR Treylon Burks
While Burks’ rookie campaign was a disappointment overall thanks to a lack of production and injuries (he missed six games), the Arkansas product did show flashes of being the No. 1 receiver the Titans desperately need.
Granted, he only finished with 444 receiving yards and two touchdowns, one of which was off a fumble recovery, but Burks passed the eye test, showing his ability to make plays down the field and gain yards after the catch.
The 23-year-old has looked like a different player so far this offseason, as not only does he look more comfortable in practice, he’s also in better shape and isn’t running into the same conditioning and asthma issues he saw in 2022.
Adding to that, Burks stands to be no worse than the No. 1 option at receiver and no worse than the No. 2 option in the passing game overall depending on how things shake out with tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo.
However, one thing to monitor with Burks is the Titans’ pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins. If Tennessee adds the veteran wideout, he’ll no doubt cut into the second-year wideout’s opportunities.
On the flip side of that coin, Hopkins would also take pressure off Burks and open things up for him a bit more thanks to the attention the 31-year-old commands, so he could end up being a positive for Burks.
No matter what, as long as Tennessee’s offensive line holds up better in pass protection than it did last season (it will) and Tannehill stays healthy, Burks should, at worst, flirt with 1,000 yards, making him a good value pick late in drafts and weekly flex option in most leagues.
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
Fantasy owners better get on the Chig train while it’s still in the station, because once it leaves it’s never stopping.
In a sea of disaster during the 2022 campaign, Okonkwo was the life raft who gave at least some semblance of hope for the future in Tennessee, as the 2022 fourth-round pick was easily the league’s best rookie tight end.
Despite his former offensive coordinator forgetting he existed during the first half of the season, Chig still managed to rack up 450 yards and three scores, finishing as TE10 overall from Week 9 on.
And, in the process, he showed just how explosive and devastating after the catch he can be.
Titans rookie connection coming up huge early with Chig Okonkwo taking the Malik Willis screen pass for 50.
The extremely athletic Maryland product just bounced off Chiefs defenders. pic.twitter.com/K70RHJmOEm
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) November 7, 2022
In fact, the Maryland product led all tight ends with 14.1 yards per reception, and his three 40-yard grabs even topped Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end, Travis Kelce.
Also, per Pro Football Focus’ Ian Hartitz, Chig finished elite numbers as compared to his peers in the following categories:
- Receiving grade: 84.6 (No. 2)
- Yards per route run: 2.61 (No. 1)
- Yards per reception: 14 (No. 1)
- YAC per reception: 7.8 (tied for No. 2)
- Targets per route run: 26.2 percent (No. 2)
- Passer rating when targeted: 125.1 (No. 7)
Chig’s yards per route run wasn’t just elite among tight ends, though, as it also ranked third among all pass-catchers, falling behind only Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson — and that’s not the only elite company Chig had, as analyst Warren Sharp pointed out.
the last 5 years there have been only 5 players with a season of:
> 0.35 EPA/target
> 7.9 YAC/reception
> 30 receptionsJa'Marr Chase (2021)
Deebo Samuel (2021)
A.J. Brown (2019)
George Kittle (2018)
Chig Okonkwo (2022) <<<<Chig deserves to be featured more in the TEN offense https://t.co/XZ0ZGCYH4X
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 24, 2023
Granted, all of this comes from a relatively small sample size (46 targets, 32 receptions), but even knowing that it’s hard not to be excited about the young tight end, who is no doubt on an elite trajectory going into his second season.
With the Titans seriously lacking depth at wide receiver, the sophomore tight end stands to be peppered with targets and is poised for huge production in 2023.
For those fantasy managers who like to wait on tight ends, Chig stands to provide immense value as a potential elite player at his position, making him the tight end to target in the second half of drafts.
Potential deep-league sleepers
WR Kyle Philips
Philips was yet another Titans player who was hampered by injuries in 2022, but we did see a flash of the slot receiver’s potential in Week 1, when he tallied six catches for 66 yards in his NFL debut.
Adding to that, Philips seemed to have a solid rapport with Tannehill despite the pair not having a ton of time together.
As we stated over and over here, the Titans have serious depth issues at wide receiver and the No. 3 role in the pecking order behind Chig and Burks is up for grabs.
If Philips can stay healthy and prove his debut wasn’t a fluke, he stands to see enough work to garner consideration as an option in deeper PPR leagues, although he’s unlikely to ever be an every-week starting option.
RB Tyjae Spears
Sticking with the theme of Tennessee’s lack of depth in the receiving corps., Spears is someone the Titans will likely utilize in the passing game, so there’s an outside chance he has standalone value some weeks, just like Dontrell Hilliard had at times during his tenure in Nashville.
The problem, of course, is figuring out when those weeks come, as it’s hard to trust a guy who is playing behind a volume monster like Derrick Henry.
Spears also holds value as the best handcuff option for Henry owners at the moment, especially now that Hassan Haskins’ status is up in the air following the second-year back running into a legal issue that could get him cut.
Granted, the smaller Spears would never see the kind of workload Henry does, but he’d no doubt see a bump in his rushing opportunities on top of his work through the air.
