Carnell Tate’s NFL debut did what a rookie is supposed to accomplish, without anything spectacular. Six targets, four catches, 38 yards and a share of the team target lead is a reasonable starting point, and the Titans clearly intend to feature him. The trouble is that Philadelphia is next, and the Eagles are one of the roughest assignments a receiver can draw right now. Find out whether you should start or sit Carnell Tate in Week 2.
Carnell Tate Start or Sit Advice for Week 2
The role is there, and that is worth something for a player this early in his career. Tate tied Wan’Dale Robinson for the team lead with six targets and a 21.4 percent share, and he caught four of them. His route running and ball tracking are what earned that trust in camp, and his ability to come down with contested throws is a skill that travels regardless of matchup. Cam Ward is going to build his passing game around someone, and Tate is positioned as well as anyone in the room to be that player.
Tennessee’s attack is the first obstacle. The Titans threw 32 times but generated only 127 passing yards and 62 team air yards, which works out to fewer than two air yards per attempt. That is a passing game living entirely at the line of scrimmage, and Ward took three sacks while posting an 80.2 passer rating. Tennessee also ran the ball just 14 times, so the volume is skewed toward the pass without the yardage to show for it. Tate’s 38 yards on six targets is what that math produces.
Philadelphia makes it harder still. The Eagles held Washington to 163 passing yards on 34 attempts in the opener, under five yards per throw, while recording three sacks and allowing only 93 air yards. They did concede two touchdowns and six red zone targets, so they can be scored on, but they are squeezing the field between the 20s and that is where a receiver accumulates the yardage that makes a fantasy line work. A rookie whose game depends on winning routes rather than outrunning coverage is walking into an unforgiving version of that test.
The Biggest Fantasy Risk for Carnell Tate in Week 2
He is sharing an offense that is not producing enough to go around. Robinson matched his target count and caught five, Gunnar Helm drew five looks and scored, and Elic Ayomanor took two of Tennessee’s three red zone targets despite seeing only three targets total. That last detail matters, because the scoring chances in this offense went somewhere other than Tate in Week 1. He also does not generate much after the catch, which is a problem when the throws coming his way are short and Philadelphia tackles well in space. Six targets for 38 yards was the outcome against a manageable defense, and this week’s opponent is a step up.
Fantasy Outlook for Carnell Tate in Week 2
Tate is a Sit in Week 2. The target share is encouraging and the long-term case for him as Ward’s preferred receiver is very much alive, so hold him in every format and expect better weeks ahead. What you should not do is ask a rookie to produce through a Philadelphia defense that just held an opponent under five yards per attempt while his own offense manages 62 air yards a game. Revisit him when Tennessee draws a softer matchup and the passing game starts pushing the ball past the sticks.
Find our Week 2 fantasy WR rankings here!