The Titans’ offense has been hard to count on this year with questionable quarterback play from Will Levis ($4,900) and Mason Rudolph ($4,900). The team also shook up the depth chart by trading away top receiver DeAndre Hopkins ($5,400) to the Chiefs before Week 8.
From the murky uncertainty, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ($4,100) has emerged as a significant part of the offense. Can he be counted on as a fantasy football producer moving forward, though? Let’s take a look.
Who is he?
Westbrook-Ikhine was an undrafted free agent acquisition out of Indiana, and he has spent all five of his NFL seasons with the Titans. He had between 28-38 receptions in each of his last three seasons, and totaled 10 touchdowns in that span.
A large percentage of his catches have gone for scores throughout his career, and that trend has continued this season. He wasn’t targeted at all in the first four games but was more involved after the Week 5 bye week, especially with Treylon Burks (knee) landing on IR after Week 6.
Westbrook-Ikhine scored a touchdown on his first target of the season in Week 6, starting an impressive run of four straight weeks finding the end zone. He only had 10 catches in those four games, but his four scores put him on the fantasy radar as a cheap flier play.
In Week 9 after the trade of Hopkins, NWI set a new season-high with six targets and 16 fantasy points. He didn’t find the end zone in Week 10 against the Chargers, snapping his streak and raising concerns that he was only viable with Rudolph at QB and would struggle with Levis in control.
In Week 11, though, Westbrook-Ikhine matched his season-high with six targets and also tied for the team lead with Calvin Ridley ($5,700). He continues to outproduce Tyler Boyd ($3,500) with more targets, touchdowns, and yards, as well.
He had one of the biggest plays of the season as part of his Week 11 game, catching this 98-yard touchdown from Levis:
98-YARD TD! 😱😱 Will Levis takes a shot out of the end zone and it pays off for the @Titans!
📺: #MINvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0o5Uj7RZ9q— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
He only caught one other pass in the game, but finished with 117 yards and 22.7 fantasy points. His six targets were a very encouraging sign and could keep him relevant over the next few weeks.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine’s value
In Week 12, NWI and the Titans visit the Texans, who will be on short rest and have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season. In the following two weeks, he has very fantasy-friendly matchups vs. the Commanders and Jaguars before things get a little tougher, though his fantasy season ends with a Week 17 rematch with the Jags.
Westbrook-Ikhine is a solid addition in season-long leagues, especially since he has good matchups in Week 12 and Week 14 which are heavy bye weeks when managers will need more depth. He is touchdown-dependent, but he has reliably found the end zone throughout his career.
For DFS contests, the Titans’ No. 2 receiver remains extremely affordable for contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]. He has shown enough ability to offer good upside at his cheap salary, especially now that we know he and Levis can connect for big plays.
The bottom line
The Titans are 7.5-point road underdogs for their Week 12 matchup with the Texans. After his recent touchdown binge, I think NWI can be a good add from the waiver wire or play in DFS this coming week.
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