What We Saw: Week 17

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Titans @ Texans

While this game had a wild finish with a ton of playoff implications and was super exciting to watch overall, the biggest takeaway was the monster week/season from Titans’ RB Derrick Henry. It felt like a longshot for Henry to get the 223 rushing yards he needed to reach 2,000 for the season, but sure enough he was able to get it done – becoming just the 8th player in NFL history to do so. Texans WR Brandin Cooks also had himself a day – finishing with over 150 receiving yards and 2 TDs. The Titans blew a 15-point lead on Sunday, but ultimately won the game (and the AFC South Division at the same time). Did your Titans’ players help you win your championship? Let’s dive into what we saw:

Tennesee Titans

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill: 18/27, 216 yards, 1 TDs, 2 sacks | 7 carries, 38 yards, 2 TDs

Titans’ QB Ryan Tannehill had a fantastic outing on Sunday – finishing his 2020 campaign with QB1 numbers for a second consecutive season. Tannehill had a quiet day throwing the ball but was able to contribute 2 rushing TDs towards his stellar fantasy outing. Tannehill looked the way of WRs A.J. Brown and Corey Davis an equal 11 times each, and while Brown was the one to make the most of his opportunities, Henry’s dominance on the ground opened up the rushing lanes for Tannehill’s scores on the ground. Just a simple fake to Henry sent Houston’s defense flying to that side of the field. All in all it was a fantastic fantasy season for Tannehill, and if you leaned on him for your fantasy championship this week, he at least gave you a fighting chance.

Ryan Tannehill absolutely launched this with 20 seconds left

pic.twitter.com/MqBWsUhRfY

— PFF (@PFF) January 4, 2021

Sam Darnold watching Ryan Tannehill and what happens when a QB gets away from Adam Gase.pic.twitter.com/ePm4jSLBJM

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 3, 2021

Running Backs

Derrick Henry: 34 carries, 250 yards, 2 TDs, 1 fumble

It was an incredible afternoon for Titan’s RB Derrick Henry against Houston, but it was an even more incredible season overall. Henry’s 2,000 rushing yards represent the first time a rusher has surpassed that feat since Chris Johnson ran for 2,006 yards all the way back in 2009 (also for Tennesee, ironically enough). It was Henry’s 3rd consecutive 200+ yard rushing performance against Houston, and it was the first time a player has won the rushing crown in back-to-back seasons since LaDanian Tomlinson did so back in 2008/2009. It was an absolute joy to watch Derrick Henry run the football this season, and if you had him running for your team on Sunday, I’m sure it was even sweeter.

Yes, Derrick Henry is infact the only RB to run for 2000 yards in a season at all three levels

High School- Ran for 2000 yards each year in High School

College- 2219 yards in a season

NFL- 2027 yards .

Mr. 2000 #Titans

— J. Guzman (@TheJoezilla) January 4, 2021

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

A.J. Brown: 11 targets, 10 receptions, 151 yards, 1 TD

Corey Davis: 11 targets, 5 receptions, 39 yards

Jonnu Smith: 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards

Anthony Firkser: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards

As mentioned above, both WR A.J. Brown and WR Corey Davis found themselves targeted 11 times on Sunday but it was Brown who went over 150 yards with a score against Houston. Brown found himself getting separation from Houston’s secondary easily all afternoon, while Davis struggled to get open as much. Davis was also targeted on more errant throws than Brown was, so he wasn’t able to produce as much. It was a fine bounce-back season for Davis, but he still had the ability to frustrate with his lack of production. While Brown finished just short of the 1,000-yard mark – he finished over 900 yards with 10 TDs on the year. Look for Brown’s ADP to climb even more, and for him to be highly sought after in next year’s fantasy drafts.

Houston Texans

Quarterback

Deshaun Watson: 28/39, 365 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 4 sacks | 3 carries, 12 yards

It was a more than solid season finale for Texans’ QB Deshaun Watson. While his heroic effort to bring Houston back to a victory from 19 points down fell just short, his fantasy managers were rewarded for his efforts nonetheless. Watson finishes the 2020 season as the QB6 – and was able to overcome his sluggish start following the firing of HC Bill O’Brien. Watson finished his campaign with his 3rd straight game with over 300 passing yards and multiple passing TDs – and his 4,458 passing yards on the season are a career-high. While Watson was only able to muster 3 rushing TDs in 2020 (7 in ’19, 5 in ’18), he provided more than enough through the air to finish the year as a top fantasy option.

Running Backs

David Johnson: 14 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards

If you were relying on Texans’ RB David Johnson to provide you a 3rd straight week of RB1 production for your fantasy championship, he did just that on Sunday against the Titans. It was questionable whether or not Johnson would even return to the field this season after a concussion in Week 9 sent him to the IR. With lots of leagues dumping him to waivers, he turned out to be a huge piece of many teams’ fantasy playoff pushes. It’s tough to project how Johnson will be used in Houston’s offense next year under an impending regime change in the offseason, but if his ADP settles at the right price, he will certainly be worth a stash in PPR leagues next year.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Brandin Cooks: 16 targets, 11 receptions, 166 yards, 2 TDs

Keke Coutee: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 90 yards

Pharoah Brown: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD

Texans’ WR Brandin Cooks stole the show for the Texans against the Titans on Sunday – finishing with his biggest game of the season. After remarks from Cooks earlier in the week about his unwillingness to accept a trade in the offseason, Cooks sure made his case for the Texans to want him to stick around! Obviously, the suspension of Houston’s WR1 Will Fuller opened the door for Cooks’ explosive conclusion to the year, but Cooks proved that he still has what it takes to be a star fantasy receiver in this league. WR Keke Coutee also had one of his biggest fantasy outputs of the season – finishing with 90 yards on 7 targets on the afternoon. Coutee was made a healthy scratch multiple times this season – supposedly landing himself in Bill O’Brien’s doghouse. But since he’s been let out, Coutee has shown flashes of why he garnered such a favorable outlook coming into this season. It will be interesting to see how Houston’s WR room shakes out next year, and if Cooks will indeed remain in Houston and avoid being traded yet again.