With a new head coach and a handful of big offseason moves, the Tennessee Titans were considered one of the NFL’s X-factor teams heading into 2024. Calvin Ridley signed a huge $92 million contract in free agency and joined DeAndre Hopkins in the Titans’ WR room, while Tony Pollard also signed to complement Tyjae Spears in the backfield behind a revamped offensive line.
It appeared quarterback Will Levis and his gunslinger style could propel the Titans to a surprisingly good season, especially for fantasy football purposes. Entering Week 7, neither one of those outcomes have come to fruition. With Levis now nursing a shoulder injury, what’s the fantasy outlook for Tennessee’s pass catchers?
How have Hopkins and Ridley performed so far?
It’s been a disappointing season for the Titans’ talented tandem. Hopkins has caught 14 of 20 targets for 175 yards and one touchdown in five games. The modest production translates to 37.5 fantasy points on the season, an average of 7.5 points per game. Overall, that puts him at WR72, a massive drop from Hopkins’ WR22 finish last season.
The stats for Ridley’s debut season in Nashville are nearly identical to Hopkins’ numbers thus far. Ridley’s seen 27 targets and caught nine of them for 141 yards and a TD. The former Falcon and Jaguar also has three rushes for 29 additional yards and a score. With 38.0 total fantasy points and an average of 7.6 per contest, Ridley slots in at WR71 overall — a departure from his WR18 finish in 2023.
Fading from fantasy relevance?
These two guys are far more talented than their stat lines suggest, and many experts believed one, or both players, were set up for big seasons in 2024. Instead, they’re on the outside looking in at what could’ve been. Hopkins and Ridley have only eclipsed the double-digit scoring mark once each this season. It’s a shocking turn of events, really, as these are players who used to be stars not only in the real world, but in fantasy lineups as well.
Ridley has a top-five overall WR finish to his name, and while he’s now four years removed from that mark, he still returned WR2 value as a top-20 fantasy receiver last season. Hopkins, while past his prime at 32 years old, used to be a superstar-level producer and still finished in the top 24 at the position last season, as well.
The issue has been the quarterback play of Levis, hands down. While the second-year signal-caller showed flashes of promise in his rookie year, this season hasn’t suggested he has what it takes to be the Titans’ quarterback of the future. Among QBs with at least 50 dropbacks, Levis ranks 28th in completions, 30th in passing yards, 25th in touchdowns, 32nd in yards/attempt and 37th in total EPA. His yards per game? A measly 139.8.
What if Levis doesn’t play this week?
After limited practices on Wednesday and Friday, Levis is questionable for Week 7 with a shoulder injury. If he doesn’t play, Mason Rudolph will fill in under center.
Read that one more time before inserting Titans pass catchers into fantasy lineups.
The reality of the situation is that while Hopkins and Ridley have enough in the tank to produce the occasional spike week, fantasy managers should probably leave them out of lineups in Week 7. The quarterback play in Tennessee is questionable at best — Levis has played poorly, but Rudolph probably won’t be much better.
The Titans also just don’t pass the ball very much. The team ranks 26th in pass attempts with 28.4 per game, just three throws short of last place. Without high volume to offset poor efficiency, Hopkins and Ridley are likely better off on your bench, barring a desperation start.
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