In support of: Women’s Sports Foundation
We are the ally, advocate and catalyst for tomorrow’s leaders. We exist to enable girls and women to reach their potential in sport and life.
Nominated by Jake Estes (@dynasty_jake)
“After seeing folks in our own community disrespect and make sexist comments to our female colleagues it was an easy decision to choose the Women’s Sports Foundation as my charity of choice. It’s no secret that the majority of the fantasy analyst community is represented by males. But the inequalities go far beyond that, from a high school sports perspective, women have approximately 1.3 million fewer options than males. The gender roles in sports should be distributed equally to allow similar opportunities for everyone who wishes to pursue sports, or careers in sports.”
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: AFC South
2020 Finish: 11-5 (1st in AFC South)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 48% (30th)
- Neutral Game Script: 50% (29th)
- Offensive Scheme: Exotic Smashmouth
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 38%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) = 35%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 10%
- 13 Personnel (1RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 9%
- 22 Personnel (2RB, 2TE, 1WR) = 4%
- 02 Personnel (0RB, 2TE, 3WR) = 2%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel enters his fourth season as the Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans and has a record of 29-19 including an AFC South division title and two playoff appearances. In 2019, in his first playoff game as a head coach he upset the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and his former coach Bill Belichick 20-13. In the Divisional Round, the Titans upset the Baltimore Ravens 28-12 before eventually losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. In 2020, he led the Titans to an 11-5 record but would lose to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Game. The Titans have now added Julio Jones to play opposite A.J. Brown and return the NFL rushing champion, Derrick Henry, to make a run at the Super Bowl.
Offensive Coordinators: Todd Downing
Todd Downing will step into the vacancy left behind by Arthur Smith, who was hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be their new Head Coach. He has some big shoes to fill as the Titans finished with the fourth ranked scoring offense and second ranked rushing attack in the NFL last season. This is Downing’s second stint as an offensive coordinator as he held the same position with the Oakland Raiders in 2017. There should not be much of a change, if at all, in how this offense operates using zone runs behind the legs of Derrick Henry to set up the play-action passing game. With the addition of Julio Jones this offense should be very efficient and can beat you on the ground and through the air.
Overall Rank: 12th/32
OL Room
LT Taylor Lewan – PFF 73.4, Pass Blocking 82.1, Run Blocking 71.2
Taylor only played 239 snaps in 2020 due to a torn ACL, but he has been one of the best left tackles in the league and brings a nastiness to the position. Lewan was selected to three Pro Bowls from 2016-2018 and was the 11th overall selection out of Michigan in the 2014 NFL Draft. He hasn’t played a full sixteen games since the 2017 season so hopefully he can stay healthy as the Titans look to make a deep run in the playoffs.
LG Rodger Saffold III – PFF 72.8, Pass Blocking 57.3, Run Blocking 77.3
Rodger Saffold has finished over 72.0 in Overall PFF Grade for five consecutive years and finished 12th overall in 2020. He also finished in the top ten in run-block grade at 77.3. He’s consistently ranked as one of the top ten at his position and brings veteran leadership and durability to this unit.
C Ben Jones – PFF 78.6, Pass Blocking 69.5, Run Blocking 79.3
Ben Jones is the definition of reliable having missed only one game over the last seven seasons. He enters year ten in the NFL after finishing the 2021 season ranked fourth in run-block grade, fifth in overall grade, and 11th in pass-block grade. This unit is full of steady and durable guys that work well together and I think there is a lot to be said for keeping the gang together.
RG Nate Davis – PFF 71.1, Pass Blocking 53.9, Run Blocking 73.8
Nate Davis, much like Rodger Saffold, was much better in the run game than he was in the passing game finishing 14th as a run-blocker and 57th as a pass-blocker. Derrick Henry can make a lot of linemen look good in the run game. Davis did show a lot of improvement compared to his rookie season when he finished with an Overall PFF Grade of only 46.6. The Titans hope the progression continues in 2021.
RT Dillon Radunz – Rookie
Dillon Radunz has a great opportunity to be the day one starter as a rookie out of North Dakota State. NDSU only played one game in 2020 as a showcase for quarterback Trey Lance to impress NFL scouts, which means there were only 75 snaps to review Radunz. He’s an explosive tackle that should fit well in the Titans’ zone-heavy scheme and be an upgrade over Ty Sambrailo.
New Toys: Kendall Lamm
Old News: Dennis Kelly (16/16)
Overall Rank: 13th/32
QB Room
Ryan Tannehill (QB10)
Ryan Tannehill signed a four-year extension prior to the 2020 season after playing above expectations in his 10-game audition in 2019 that led to his first selection to the Pro Bowl. All he did for an encore was lead this team to an 11-5 record in 2020 by completing 65.5% of his passes to the tune of 3,819 yards and 33 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. He’s taken command of this football team and earned the respect of his teammates, the front office, and the fans of this franchise. With the addition of Julio Jones and the return of A.J. Brown, we should expect to see his best work yet in 2021 and I’m here for it.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 521 attempts, 66.7%, 4429 yards, 34 touchdowns
Rushing: 52 attempts, 287 yards, 4 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 353.8
New Toys: N/A
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Grade: 11th/32
RB Room
Derrick Henry (RB4)
Derrick Henry won the rushing title for the second consecutive season and there is no reason to believe he can’t do it again in 2021. He reminds me of Eddie George with his ability to run through you, over you, and around you as one of the bigger backs in the league. His combination of speed, footwork, and vision is next level and he shows no signs of slowing down. His numbers over the last two years is mind-boggling with a total of 681 carries, 3,567 yards, and 33 rushing touchdowns with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. There are concerns about his volume, but keep in mind he only carried the ball an average of 167 times during his first three years in the league and he is only 27. I expect to see Henry continue to return top ten value for another three years if he can stay healthy. In my opinion, he is an outlier and an exception to the rule that running backs can’t be productive as they near the age of 30. Don’t bet against King Henry.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 365 attempts, 1824 yards, 16 touchdowns
Receiving: 36 targets, 26 receptions, 168 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 326.7
Darrynton Evans (RB58)
Darrynton Evans should be the RB2 in Tennessee but does not return much fantasy value with the lack of volume behind King Henry. With the additions of Julio Jones, Josh Reynolds, and Dez Fitzpatrick to the receiving core the Titans have added depth in the passing game which could affect Evan’s ability to make a bigger impact in 2021. It would take an injury to King Henry to really return value here and I don’t view Evans as a true handcuff either.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 63 attempts, 263 yards, 2 touchdowns
Receiving: 31 targets, 22 receptions, 147 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 80.8
New Toys: Brian Hill
Old News: D’onta Foreman (6/0)
Position Fantasy Grade: 12th/32
WR Room
A.J. Brown (WR8)
A.J. Brown is turning into an absolute steal as the 51st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. In his rookie season (2019), he returned instant value finishing with 52 receptions, 1051 yards, and 8 touchdowns while showcasing his ability to create separation and create yards after the catch. In 2020, in just 14 games, he finished with 70 receptions, 1075 yards, and 11 touchdowns. If you average that out over 17 games, he was on pace for 85 receptions, 1305 yards, and 13 touchdowns. With the addition of Julio Jones defenses will have a choice to make every week in terms of how they want to roll coverage and how many defenders they want to put in the box to account for Derrick Henry. This is very good for your AJB shares and makes this a very exciting offense to watch.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 130 targets, 91 receptions, 1495 yards, 13 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 318.7
Julio Jones (WR20)
Julio Jones, if he can stay healthy, adds an element to this offense that makes it very scary for opposing defenses. Jones has been selected to seven Pro Bowls and been named as a First-Team All-Pro twice. He has led the league in receptions (2015), yards (2015 and 2018), and yards per game (2015, 2016, 2018) while always finishing near the top of the league in yards per route run. This is not the pass-happy offense he came from in Atlanta, but with AJB on the other side and a quarterback that is extremely efficient, you can expect the Titans to open up the offense just a little bit more in 2021 with the weapons they have in the passing game. Jones makes the play-action game even more relevant in Tennessee and has WR1 potential in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 115 targets, 83 receptions, 1263 yards, 9 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 262.8
Josh Reynolds (WR86)
Josh Reynolds enjoyed a career high in targets (81), receptions (52), and yards (618) in 2021 and comes to Tennessee to fill the WR3 role. There will be competition with 2021 draft pick Dez Fitzpatrick, but I give the early nod to the savvy veteran. His production will take a dip in comparison to his numbers last season with Julio Jones and AJB taking the lions’ share of the targets. If either Jones or AJB miss any time, then Reynolds could provide WR2 upside as an insurance policy in this offense.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 63 targets, 38 receptions, 506 yards, 4 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 112.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Corey Davis (14/12), Adam Humphries (7/1)
Position Fantasy Grade: 7th/32
TE Room
Anthony Firkser (TE23)
Anthony Firkser becomes the third or fourth option in this offense, but I still expect the Titans to use the tight end in the passing game even with Jonnu Smith in New England. Firkser isn’t the sexy pick but can return value at his current ADP. Todd Downing, offensive coordinator, was the TE coach last season and is very familiar with Firkser’s skill set. Keep in mind that the Titans used the tight end in 98% of their personnel groupings, and used multiple tight end sets 48% of the time so Firkser will be on the field a ton and could outperform expectations in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 63 targets, 44 receptions, 394 yards, 4 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 107.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Jonnu Smith (15/14)
Position Fantasy Grade: 28th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #19 (.492 126-130)
2021 Predicted Finish: 13-4 (2nd AFC South)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
