Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
The Tennessee Titans came away with a crucial win over the Indianapolis Colts this week in a game that was dominated by Derrick Henry on the ground as well as bad turnovers and some rough special teams play from the Colts.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
- Ryan Tannehill: 17/22 182 yards, 2 TDs | 4 carries, 5 yards
While the stat line doesn’t show it, all in all, Ryan Tannehill looked pretty solid. He wasn’t incredible by any stretch, but I think that had a lot more to do with how bad the Titans offensive line is rather than Tannehill. Tannehill got sacked six times for a total of 44 lost yards, and it seemed like every single play he was swarmed by the Colts’ pass rush. But when he had time, he made some nice throws, including this beautiful touchdown pass to Adam Humphries.
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But the Titans’ offensive line is going to limit Tannehill’s fantasy viability in my opinion. He’s got talent, I was always a Tannehill defender when he was in Miami, but he needs time to throw, and he’s just not getting it. He’ll have nice games (like the one he had last week), but it’s going to be inconsistent.
Running back
- Derrick Henry: 26 carries, 149 yards, 1 TD | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards
- Dion Lewis: 1 target, 1 catch, 9 yards
It was the Derrick Henry show on the offensive side for the Titans more than anything, and he rumbled through the Colts defense like it was nothing. He basically just spent the game doing Derrick Henry things, powering through for rushing yards and a touchdown by sheer power of will.
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He looked great and once again proved he’s a solid RB1 for the rest of the season, especially given his workload. Also, fun fact, this was Henry’s third-straight game with at least 140 yards rushing, which is nuts.
Wide receivers
- A.J. Brown: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 45 yards
- Anthony Firkser: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards
- Adam Humphries: 2 targets, 1 reception, 13 yards, 1 TD
- Corey Davis: 2 targets, 1 reception, 23 yards
- Cody Hollister: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
- Jonnu Smith: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 0 yards
- Kalif Raymond: 1 targets, 1 reception, 40 yards, 1 TD
The targets were all spread out for the Titans offense this week, which made any fantasy points tough to come by. If you started A.J. Brown, he did okay. If you started Adam Humphries, he gets you a little bit with a touchdown, but not much. And if you started Corey Davis, you have my condolences. There’s honestly just not enough of a passing game for you to be able to trust any Titans receiver.
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
- Jacoby Brissett: 25/40, 319 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT | 1 carry, -1 yard
In general, Brissett looked really solid. The Colts elected to throw the ball a lot, and fortunately for Brissett, he’s got an excellent offensive line, so he had plenty of time to throw (for the most part, he did get sacked three times). However, he did have two interceptions, and both of them were very much forced errors on his part, and those interceptions led to 10 points combined for the Titans, which is bad. He’s not perfect, but he was making some nice throws, some into coverage where he had to thread the needle. He continues to be a decent QB2.
Running Backs
- Jordan Wilkins: 11 carries, 47 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
- Jonathan Williams: 8 carries, 14 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards
- Nyheim Hines: 4 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards
So remember how Jonathan Williams was supposed to be the starting running back for the Colts with Marlon Mack out? Welp. Good luck figuring out this backfield. Last week, Wilkins saw one offensive snap, and then he goes and leads the team in carries this week. And it wasn’t like he was particularly great. He was effective, sure, but nothing jaw-dropping. I would like to take a minute to mention Nyheim Hines though. He didn’t do a whole lot, aside from the touchdown, but man did he look good.
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Now, I’ve always been a Nyheim Hines fan, and I long for the day that he gets a starting job all to his own, but for now, just keep an eye on him. I don’t think you can justify picking him up outside of deep PPR leagues, but the guy is seriously talented. He’s a very good receiving back and is dangerous in the open field. But for next week, if you own a Colts running back, I wish you the best of luck. I think it’s probably still Williams who will be the starter, but I’m not confident in that at all.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Jack Doyle: 11 targets, 6 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD
- Zach Pascal: 10 targets, 7 receptions, 109 yards
- Marcus Johnson: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 55 yards
- Ross Travis: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards
- Ashton Dulin: 1 target, 1 reception, 13 yards
Both T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell were ruled out of this game, meaning it was the Jack Doyle and Zach Pascal show, and they did not disappoint. Pascal has shown some flashes of talent this season (see: Week 7 against the Texans and Week 9 against the Steelers), but he’ll be limited if Hilton and/or Campbell return, not to mention Chester Rogers (who left the game with a knee injury), though the return of Rogers has much less of a meaningful impact I believe. If you need a wide receiver and have a free roster spot, Pascal is worth a claim in case Hilton and Campbell are out again. Meanwhile, Doyle took advantage of Eric Ebron missing this game after being placed on IR. Going forward, with Ebron gone, Doyle looks to be a pretty usable tight end.
-Ben Palmer