Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, November 21 at 1:00 PM ET
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Betting Odds: TEN -1o, 44.5 Total on Oddshark
Network: CBS
Writer: Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware on Twitter)
Houston Texans
QUARTERBACKS
Tyrod Taylor (Sit)
After attempting a career-high 43 passes in Week 9, including 3 interceptions, Tyrod Taylor was mercifully granted a bye week. Before going down with a hamstring injury in Week 2. Taylor was well on his way to a second straight impressive start, completing over 70 percent of his passes. However, the former Round 6 pick of the Baltimore Ravens showed a ton of rust in his return to action.
Thankfully for Taylor, the Titans’ pass defense has been quite generous to opposing fantasy quarterbacks this season; only four teams have allowed more points per game to signal callers on the other sideline. However, despite a modest rushing floor and favorable matchup, we can’t recommend starting Taylor in any format until he proves himself worthy of a place in fantasy lineups.
RUNNING BACKS
David Johnson (Sit), Rex Burkhead (Sit), Phillip Lindsay (Sit)
So far this season, David Johnson has been targeted nearly four times as often as any other running back on the Texans’ roster. However, he has logged ten or more touches only once this season and led all Texans running backs in snap share for the second time in three weeks. Meanwhile, Phillip Lindsay and Rex Burkhead continue to play relatively minor roles, yet see the field just enough to cap Johnson’s upside. We’re avoiding this backfield as much as possible for the foreseeable future.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Brandin Cooks (Start, WR3), Nico Collins (Sit), Danny Amendola (Sit), Chris Conley (Sit), Chris Moore (Sit), Jordan Akins (Sit), Brevin Jordan (Sit)
Brandin Cooks continues to draw accolades from many heavy hitters in the fantasy industry for his ability to consistently produce for a consistently pathetic football team. Cooks should benefit from a favorable matchup this weekend. Start him with confidence as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in PPR leagues with 12 or more teams.
Brandin Cooks:
-WR23 in PPR points per game
-WR22, WR8 and WR23 with Tyrod Taylor at QB
-Tied with Deebo Samuel and Davante Adams with league-high 31% target share
-No. 1 in air yard share at 46%
-Facing Titans' league-worst defense in fantasy points allowed to opposing WRs— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 17, 2021
Nico Collins caught three passes last week, tied for second-best on the team. His target volume has waned of late, but his snap share keeps increasing. We expect Collins to emerge as a bigger part of the offense as Taylor gets back into the flow of things, but he can’t be trusted in 12 team PPR leagues at this time.
We’re far less optimistic about Danny Amendola, Chris Moore, and Chris Conley and see no reason to roster any of them in even the deepest of leagues. Tight end Jordan Akins is likewise uninspiring, and while Brevin Jordan offers mild appeal in deep dynasty leagues, he should likewise be off the radar for redraft managers until further notice.
Tennessee Titans
QUARTERBACKS
Ryan Tannehill (Start)
It may seem like a distant memory, but at the start of the season, Ryan Tannehill came out of the gates like a snail stuck in a puddle of maple syrup. The former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins has since flipped the switch, finishing as the QB2 in all of fantasy football from Weeks 7 through 10. We do have minor game script concerns this week, but Tannehill is still a mid-t0-low-end QB1 for us this week. With Derrick Henry out for the season, expect the Titans to lean on Tannehill with the lead in hand, a bit more so than usual.
RUNNING BACKS
D’Onta Foreman (Start, Flex), Adrian Peterson (Sit), Jeremy McNichols (Sit)
A rather pedestrian backfield committee gets a matchup-driven bump in value this week: only five teams have allowed more fantasy points per game to running backs this season. D’Onta Foreman was a priority waiver wire add this week, and with good reason: in just his second game with the team, he led all Titans running backs in snap count, rushing attempts, rushing yards, receptions, and receiving yards. His 39-yard reception was, by far, the most electric play of the game by a Titans running back:
D'Onta Foreman getting free!
📺: Watch #NOvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/4QvcBFHUPS
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 14, 2021
While we endorse Foreman as a flex play, we’re not as bullish on Adrian Peterson, who makes sense as a break-glass emergency option in standard leagues (or desperate teams decimated by injuries and bye weeks). Peterson was outshined by Foreman last week, but the ageless veteran appears to have the trust of the coaching staff inside the five-yard line. Peterson also played only one fewer snap than Foreman, although the latter led all Titans players with 3 red zone touches last week. We’re enamored with Foreman’s upside in an offense that likes to feature one stud running back by design, but we wouldn’t roll with the touchdown-dependent future Hall of Famer in 12 team PPR leagues.
Meanwhile, Jeremy McNichols has collected 9 of the last 13 targets thrown to Titans running backs. He’s worth monitoring in case something happens to Peterson or Foreman soon, but we worry more about him at the moment, given that he has yet to clear concussion protocol as of Wednesday evening. If McNichols is ruled out, we’ll move Foreman into solid RB 2 territory.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
A.J. Brown (Start, WR1), Marcus Johnson (Start, Flex), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Sit), Chester Rogers (Sit), Anthony Firkser (Sit), Geoff Swaim (Sit)
A.J. Brown was an absolute disappointment last week: outside of Week 3, when he left due to injury, Brown’s Week 10 (23 total yards on 1 reception) was his worst performance of the season. We fully expect a bounce-back game of epic proportions this week against a soft Texans secondary. We caution against overreacting to one bad outing and urge Brown’s managers to start him with confidence against Houston. Even with the prospect of a negative game script looming, he’s a solid WR1 this week.
Marcus Johnson has drawn 5 more targets in each of the last three games in which Julio Jones sat out. We initially ruled him as a “Sit,” but after further review, given the context of his juicy matchup and a healthy dose of recency bias from his 100-yard game, our call has been reversed. We now consider him flex-worthy. We don’t share the same enthusiasm for Nick Westbrook-Ikhine or Chester Rogers, who have only seen a combined eight targets over the past three weeks. Leave them on the waiver wire where they belong.
At the tight end position, we’ve been more than patient with Anthony Firkser. He was one of our favorite late-round tight end sleepers, but we’re facing facts: it’s just not happening.
Me, when Julio Jones went down:
“Maybe we’ll see more of Anthony Firkser!”
Firkser: *nothing*
Me, when Derrick Henry went down:
“Maybe *now* we’ll see more of Anthony Firkser!”
Firkser: pic.twitter.com/Yks65RhAa0
— Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware) November 18, 2021
Despite a pair of DNPs from Julio Jones over the last five weeks, Firkser hasn’t been targeted more than twice since Week 4. MyCole Pruitt has seen as many looks over the past five weeks, and Geoff Swaim has played more snaps in six straight contests. Clearly, the coaching staff prefers to overlook their tight end room and seek production elsewhere. Fantasy managers: follow their lead.