Titans–Giants
Final Score: TEN 7-12 NYG
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
Cam Ward (TEN) vs. NYG: 23/36 Passing, 181 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 1 Carries, 2 Yards
Shut out for three quarters. Beaten 12-7 by a team that never found the end zone. Cam Ward threw it 36 times for 181 yards. Tennessee finally got on the board with 5:35 left, a 4-yarder to Wan’Dale Robinson. Then, 24 seconds to go and a real chance to steal it, he threw into the end zone and Jevon Holland caught it. Touchback. He wasn’t sacked once, which is the nicest sentence available to me. Two passing touchdowns in three games. Oh-and-three.
Running Back
Tony Pollard (TEN) vs. NYG: 17 Carries, 74 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 22 Yards
Pollard was the primary running back for the Titans, owning much more of the opportunities than we’ve seen in weeks previous. Much of that was likely due to Spears’ injury, as we’ve seen a near 50-50 split each of the previous two weeks. Neither one are terribly valuable for fantasy as long as the offense continues to be terrible from back to front.
Tyjae Spears (TEN) vs. NYG: 3 Carries, 5 Yards
Spears missed a couple of practices leading up to the game on Sunday and was used much more sparsely than we had seen in the few weeks prior. He was the primary 3rd-down back and 2-minute drill guy, but that was pretty much it, and it amounting to practically nothing for fantasy.
Wide Receiver
Carnell Tate (TEN) vs. NYG: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 58 Yards
It appears that Carnell Tate is the WR1 in the Titans offense, as he was on the field as the Z receiver for nearly every play. Though he had a decent day with career highs in nearly every receiving stat, it could have been even better. Tate was wide open in the end zone in the third quarter, but Ward was moving to his left and missed his rookie receiver badly on the clear opportunity as the Titans eventually turned the ball over on downs. He remains a flex consideration at best as long as he is tied to the under-performing Cam Ward.
Wan’Dale Robinson (TEN) vs. NYG: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 57 Yards, TD
Good for Wan’Dale for scoring a touchdown in his old stomping grounds. The former Giants wide receiver cashed in on a ball to the pylon, where he made a nice play for the score. He was on the field when the Titans went three wide receivers, typically playing in the slot. No surprise there. As always, he’s a PPR maven, but like Tate is still tied to Ward, so tread lightly.
Calvin Ridley (TEN) vs. NYG: 1 Target
Elic Ayomanor (TEN) vs. NYG: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
It looked as if Ayomanor may have passed Ridley on the depth chart with the second-year wide receiver taking 48 snaps to Ridley’s 20, including most of them in 12 personnel.
Chimere Dike (TEN) vs. NYG: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards, Fumble (LOST)
Dike fumbled the opening kickoff, setting the tone for the 0-3 Titans in this one.
Tight End
Gunnar Helm (TEN) vs. NYG: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards
Daniel Bellinger (TEN) vs. NYG: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
Yes, a rainy game that you shouldn’t read too much into for fantasy purposes. No, there is not a worthwhile fantasy asset worth pursuing here.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Jameis Winston (NYG) vs. TEN: 14/22 Passing, 118 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT | 2 Carries, 14 Yards
Jaxson Dart is gone for the regular season. Knee. Opening drive of the Week 2 Monday night loss to the Rams. So Jameis Winston has the huddle, and his first start went 14 of 22 for 118 yards, no touchdowns, and, read this part slowly, no interceptions. He did botch a handoff with Cam Skattebo on New York’s own 1, which is how teams lose football games, and somehow the Giants kept it. They won 12-7 without ever reaching the end zone. Dominic Zvada went 4-for-4, from 39, 27, 39 and 30. Three sacks. Longest throw of the day was a 30-yarder to Skattebo. A clean Jameis is a headline. A 118-yard Jameis is a wire guy.
Running Back
Cam Skattebo (NYG) vs. TEN: 20 Carries, 60 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
Despite a Giants win, this offense looked very bad at football, and Cam Skattebo had to fight for almost every yard. His best run came in the second half when he finally found some space for a 13-yard gain. We loved seeing 20 carries, but he managed just 60 rushing yards and averaged 3.0 YPC. According to Next Gen Stats, Skattebo ran a total 74 yards after contact, showing just how little help he received before contact.
Skattebo’s best play came early in the first quarter when he lined up out wide and turned a reception into a 30-yard gain, helping set up an early Giants field goal. Skattebo was expected to be a volume-based fantasy back, and the 20 carries are encouraging, but his continued lack of efficiency is becoming a concern, especially with Najee Harris involved in the backfield.
Najee Harris (NYG) vs. TEN: 9 Carries, 52 Yards
Backup Najee Harris was the more efficient runner in this matchup. He started seeing touches early in the second quarter while the game was still close and broke off a few solid runs, including an 11-yard gain. It was surprising that Harris didn’t see more work, especially considering he entered halftime averaging 7.2 YPC compared to just 1.4 for Skattebo. If Harris continues to be the more efficient runner, he could start eating into Skattebo’s workload moving forward.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (NYG) vs. TEN: 1 Carry, 3 Yards
Devin Singletary (NYG) vs. TEN: Healthy Inactive
Wide Receiver
Malik Nabers (NYG) vs. TEN: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 26 Yards
Darnell Mooney (NYG) vs. TEN: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards | 1 Carry, 9 Yards
Malachi Fields (NYG) vs. TEN: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards
Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG) vs. TEN: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
This game felt like coughing baby vs. coughing baby. Nabers led the receiving room but only had 26 yards to show for it. The Jameis Winston of today is a far cry from 30/30 Jameis of old. There was just no success in the red zone, leading to the abysmal 12-7 final scoreline. The Giants walked away with an ugly W, disappointing Nabers fantasy owners everywhere.
Tight End
Isaiah Likely (NYG) vs. TEN: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
Jameis Winston only threw 22 passes in a very rainy game that the Giants led for most of the time, and Isaiah Likely was just one behind Malik Nabers for the team lead in targets. In better weather, Likely should have plenty of playable weeks, but I’m not feeling like he has top-five potential like we felt he did after his spike performance in Week 1. Depending on whether or not the Giants add a different QB ahead of Week 4, we may have to lower Likely in our season-long rankings. He still had great snap and route participation, so Likely is also a solid trade target.