Tennessee Titans @ Miami Dolphins
Final Score: Titans 31 – Dolphins 12
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp on Twitter)
If you had to watch the Titan and Dolphins, it felt like torture on Monday night. Both defenses held on strong in this game and caused chaos for the offenses. Starting quarterback Will Levis would get injured, making way for Mason Rudolph to play the majority of the game. The passing game wasn’t much better, but the run game got them into field goal scoring. The Dolphins offense under Tyler Huntley did not look much better than a week ago. You could tell that the timing was off, and the offensive line didn’t help the offense in any way. Both offenses combined for less than five third-down conversions in this game. Compared to the other Monday Night Football game, you could have turned this one off for the night early on.
Three Up
- Tony Pollard – The best fantasy player of the night had to be Tony Pollard. He had the most yards and looked better than his backup Tyjae Spears. He should continue to be the 1A in the offense.
- Both defenses – Unfortunately, I don’t have another fantasy player worth saying they are up. Both defenses combined for two turnovers and caused pressure all night.
- Two MNF Games – This is how bad this game was. Hopefully, by the end of the first quarter, you could switch games. The NFL needs more weeks like this.
Three Down
- Tyjae Spears – Despite Tyjae Spears seeing only a few touches less than Pollard, he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry on the night.
- Will Levis – Will Levis had a shoulder injury in this game, but not before adding another turnover to his season total. Levis needs this Week 5 bye more than most.
- Star Players – It was a rough night if you had to play Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Calvin Ridley, or DeAndre Hopkins. They combined for 146 total yards.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
Will Levis : 3/5, 25 yards passing, 1 INT | 2 carries, 5 yards rushing
Will Levis didn’t play much in this game since he went out on the second drive with a shoulder injury. Levis wasn’t having a great game with mediocre play on the field. He threw a terrible interception to a defensive lineman that he should have seen but didn’t. He didn’t play the rest of the game but is still the supposed starter for the Titans.
Mason Rudolph : 9/17, 85 yards passing
Veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph filled in for the injured Will Levis after the game’s second drive. Rudolph didn’t do much better than Levis was doing. He didn’t turn the ball over, which was at least an improvement from the team’s starter. The Titans made the offense simple and took advantage of the positive game script. He was off on his throws, with many of them short. Rudolph was under tons of pressure in this game, which forced him to make bad throws. Rudolph didn’t show much to make the Titans consider a quarterback change in Tennessee.
Running Back
Tony Pollard: 22 carries, 88 yards rushing, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards receiving
The best player in this game was Tony Pollard. The veteran didn’t do as great as his stats would show it. He did have a 41-yard run in the third quarter, which helped set up a touchdown for Spears. He had 21 carries for 47 rushing yards outside of that run. Pollard did look like the better runner between him and Tyjae Spears, showing off some patience and getting the most out of his runs. At the very least, he salvaged the night for fantasy managers with that late touchdown.
Tyjae Spears: 15 carries, 39 yards rushing, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions
Tyjae Spears had potential opportunities in this game, but he was very ineffective as a runner. He couldn’t get anything going up the middle and was often tripped up by defenders as he got to the outside. Outside of his touchdown, his fantasy day was terrible. Spears also didn’t get a touch until the game’s third series. Spears continues to show as more of a backup player than a 1B in the offense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Calvin Ridley: 1 target, 1 receptions, 5 yards receiving | 1 carry, 10 yards
One target on the day for Calvin Ridley is not good. Ridley was lined up against Jalen Ramsey, so the Titans made it a point not to throw his way. The team threw the ball 21 times and was not taking much risk. Ridley needs this BYE week to get this Titans passing offense on track for the rest of the season.
DeAndre Hopkins: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards receiving
DeAndre Hopkins led the Titans in targets in this game, though it was still a modest total with four. Hopkins looked great regarding running routes and was able to find holes in coverage. Rudolph didn’t look his way enough in this game. Hopkins will continue to be limited due to poor quarterback play.
Tyler Boyd: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards receiving
Tyler Boyd was quiet in this game, but it was because the offensive game plan was to run the ball. Boyd had a nice 29-yard catch near the end of the half that helped set the team up for a field goal. Boyd hasn’t been fantasy-relevant all season.
Treylon Burks: 1 target, 1 reception, 13 yards receiving
Treylon Burks had a solid catch in this game, but he is the fourth receiver on this team and will continue to have little fantasy relevance.
Chig Okonkwo: 3 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards receiving
Josh Whyle: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards receiving
The Titans’ tight ends didn’t leave much to desire for fantasy. Neither was able to see much opportunity in this game. They did rotate throughout the game, but the Titans didn’t throw the ball that much. After a solid start, Chig Okonkwo disappeared from this Titans offense again.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tyler Huntley: 14/22, 96 yards passing | 8 carries, 40 yards rushing, 1 TD, 1 FUM
Tyler Huntley started this game after being with the team for two weeks. Huntley moved around the pocket more than Skylar Thompson gave us in Week 3. He looked like a player who had been with his team for two weeks. He had a few decent throws, but many of his throws were off-target. Huntley ran the ball well, totaling 40 yards on the night and punching in a rushing score. Huntley had chances at long touchdowns but was wildly inaccurate with his downfield throws. There were management issues at the offensive line, and Huntley didn’t command the offense very well. The former Raven will likely get another chance, but he isn’t the short-term solution to Miami’s issues.
Running Back
De’Von Achane: 10 carries, 15 yards rushing | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 14 yards receiving
It was a poor night for De’Von Achane. He tried to do too much in this game. The Titan defense bottled him up often as he tried to make a play to the outside and was stopped. He looked to make the big play rather than get the yards the defense did give him. Achane struggled behind the below-average Dolphins offensive line, looking a bit fatigued and not as explosive as he showed in Week 1. It could be that the Dolphins are overusing him in games, which is something of a concern. Hopefully, Miami can figure out their offense sooner rather than later.
Jaylen Wright: 9 carries, 32 yards rushing | 1 target
Jaylen Wright got more playing time with Jeff Wilson Jr. being a last-minute scratch due to an injury. Wright looked like the better runner of the Dolphins backfield this time around and was more explosive getting downfield instead of trying to make a big play. The Dolphins should have used him more in this game to get something going on offense. Wright is the bigger running back, but Miami refused to use him in the red zone. Wright likely won’t see more playing time with Raheem Mostert returning soon.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 23 yards receiving | 3 carries, 19 yards rushing
The team tried to get Tyreek Hill involved in the offense as he led the team in targets with seven and was used on designed run plays. Huntley missed Hill on two plays that had home-run potential. The first was a deep pass that Huntley underthrew. The second was a wide-open potential touchdown that Huntley overthrew Hill by 5 yards. Hill even helped keep Huntley from throwing an end zone pick in the second quarter. For the time being, Hill turns into a FLEX player at best until this quarterback situation is fixed.
Jaylen Waddle: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 36 yards receiving
Unfortunately, Jaylen Waddle suffered the same fate as Tyreek Hill. Waddle was at full speed all over the field, but the offense did not look to throw downfield too often. He had a nice catch and run on a slant route that helped get the Dolphins a first down in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Waddle is a bench player on fantasy rosters until Miami can figure out their quarterback situation.
Jonnu Smith: 1 target
There is not much fantasy impact here. Until Miami can find a quarterback, then Jonnu Smith doesn’t have much fantasy value.
Tanner Conner: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards receiving
One of two of Tanner Conner’s targets was on the last play of the game. He is firmly off of the fantasy radar.
Malik Washington: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards receiving
It was great to see the rookie Malik Washington get on the field. He is someone Miami can use as a weapon in the future. Huntely didn’t have the time to pass in this game.