In a season chock full of surprises, the Tennessee Titans have become big news by getting off to a 4-0 start. Most experts overlooked the Titans when making their pick for a likely winner of the AFC South, a division in which the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars get most of the attention. But with the Colts and Jags struggling early, along with a lack of heat coming from the Houston Texans, the Titans find themselves in fine position to lead the charge for a playoff run. And considering that the Titans are accomplishing all of this without the services of their supposed franchise QB Vince Young, one would be compelled to wonder how all of this success came about. Well, I definitely think it is a worthy pursuit to dig around a little and take a look at the team as a whole.
Defense!
From a fantasy point of view, the argument could definitely be made
that the Titans' D/ST has been the biggest surprise so far this
season. They have, by far, scored more fantasy points than any other
team in football (according to ESPN
fantasy scoring). While other teams have allowed less points against,
rush yards, pass yards, etc., no team has forced fumbles and snagged
interceptions quite like the Titans. Take that and add a bunch of
sacks, and you have the recipe for fantasy sweetness. Knowing that
your D/ST is almost guaranteed to produce double digit points is huge,
to say the least.
Key Contributers: DT Albert Haynesworth - 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble; DE Kyle Vanden Bosch - 3 sacks, 3 forced fumbles; CB Cortland Finnegan - 4 INT, 1 TD; SS Chris Hope - 24 tackles.
RUN!
The Titans have done well thus far with the run, totaling 548 yards with 7 Tds. Certainly, it will be easier to run on some teams over others, but the Titans backs seem to chip away consistently with short yardage, and have been money in the red zone. From a fantasy perspective, the Titans are unique in that they offer owners two solid options for earning fantasy points. First, the young RB Chris Johnson has taken on the role of the workhorse, earning the majority of the raw run yardage (67 attempts, 337 yards, 2 TD). He showed that he is the real deal against the tough Viking run D in week 4, so it can be concluded that Johnson is going to be making a fantasy impact for the rest of season, health permitting. The second piece to the run puzzle is another young RB, LenDale White. White has scored a TD in every game thus far, with 2 against the Texans. Some may label him as a vulture, but he has thrown in a bit of yardage for good measure. If the Titans are in the red zone, look out for this guy. A savvy owner lucky enough to own both of these guys would be a pretty happy dude, for sure.
Yeah, they pass, too...
With the troubled and hobbling Vince Young facing an uncertain future this season, it has been veteran (OK, that's a nice way to say OLD) QB Kerry Collins who has been given charge of the Titans offense. Collins is not the most mobile QB, and his arm is not what it used to be, but he has the experience and know-how to lead a young team down the field. Collins hasn't utilized his WRs much just yet, but if he suddenly decides to start throwing the ball downfield, his likely targets will be a pair of Justins - Justin Gage and Justin McCareins. However, the yardage gained by these two so far hasn't been enough to be deemed worthy of a fantasy spot on your roster, and only Gage has received a TD pass. The only relevant fantasy pass receiver would be TE Bo Scaife, who has racked up 154 yards and 1 TD. Scaife may be a worthy pickup for those lacking in the TE spot, but don't expect Jason Witten-like numbers. Totally ignorable is veteran TE Alge Crumpler, who has been outperformed by Scaife thus far.
And so,
In conclusion, I would say that the Titans' D/ST and RBs are both viable starters on anyone's roster, but keep a close eye on the match-ups from week to week. For example, this week the Titans take on the Baltimore Ravens, whose defense can be crippling, but whose offense is run by a rookie, though impressive Joe Flacco may be. Therefore, while the D/ST is a no-brainer start, the Titans run game may struggle. And given that, the TE Scaife may be the one to get a few looks from Collins in an attempt to mix things up. However, in week 7, the Titans play the Chiefs, who will surely give up mad run yards to both Titans backs. Just pay attention, be smart, and owners of these Titans players should enjoy some success.
As always, whether you're dominating or getting housed, be sure to do it with style!
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