Tennessee Titans vs. Philadelphia Eagles Matchup Breakdown For Week 2 Fantasy Football

Inability to consistently create holes stunted Barkley’s fantasy output, a fantasy game predicated on home runs. And while he did break loose for a 42-yard scamper in the second quarter, that was Barkley’s only rush to gain over ten. Now, cap targets in a Jalen Hurts’ offense, and immediately see why Saquon terrified me at his draft cost coming in. The good news? It’s the Titans, and TD equity won’t ever be higher than this Sunday. TD Prop anyone?

Hurts only targeted four combined WR/TE Sunday, so even at this low-volume pace, there’s a shot to get your guys home — especially in a soft matchup. Deploying 11-personnel at a 72% rate kept all three PHI wideouts busy, and therefore viable. Nevertheless, Makai Lemon’s five targets averaged a negative depth of target. Call me crazy, but I’m waiting for a reception on the right side of the line of scrimmage before starting the rookie again in fantasy.

A 64 Utilization Score on the ledger for free agent Dontayvion Wicks may have come as a surprise, unless you paid attention to the summer coachspeak that is. Not only did the free agent WR post a 91% route participation rate, but he earned multiple deep shots plus an end zone look. 

For where Wicks went in drafts, that pick may have paid off already. Conversely, DeVonta Smith cost way more yet produced much less. And now with Makai Lemon soaking up an essential full-time role in the slot, Smith potentially stands to lose out on some underneath floor-boosting layup looks each game. Food for thought.

• Start: Jalen Hurts (QB3), Saquon Barkley (RB10), DeVonta Smith (WR10), Dallas Goedert (TE7)
• Sit: Makai Lemon (WR57)
• Sleeper: Dontayvion Wicks (WR56)

Tennessee Titans Fantasy Preview

Life’s entirely too short to roster Titans on your fantasy team. There, I said it. Why subject yourself to that sort of prolonged torture? Well, if you do find yourself in that powder-blue-tinted sinking boat, get out while you can — or at least start looking for replacements. 

Sorry, not to hand-wave an entire organization, but unlike the Cardinals from last year, even garbage time and all the Charmin-soft, preventative defensive schematics that come with it hardly helped them move the ball. It’s a sad song being played in Music City …

The misery starts and ends with Cam Ward. Picking up right where he left off (meant in the worst way possible), Ward dropped back a whopping 39 times for 140 passing yards… woof. As if it couldn’t get any worse, his 4.4 yards/attempt finished dead last, and that’s against a questionable Jets secondary. For all intents and purposes, Philly should dog-walk Tennessee.

Poor QB play behind a porous offensive line translates into nightmare fuel for fantasy GMs: pressures, throwaways, spiked balls, penalties, and picks. Yuck — the cascading failures under center drag down all associated fantasy assets. Only two RBs touched the ball, yet Tony Pollard plus Tyjae Spears couldn't crack 10 fantasy points… combined. 

Not sure how you can reasonably start any of these Titans with confidence — I’d rather stream a longshot in a more optimal surrounding contextual environment.

• Start: N/A
• Sit: Carnell Tate (WR44), Tony Pollard (RB34)
• Sleeper: Wan'Dale Robinson (WR52)

Next Week’s Bold Headlines, Today

• Two teams could not be heading in more opposite directions. Philly’s undefeated in the post-AJB era, while Tennessee could be racing Cleveland and Miami to the bottom for their second 1.01 in three years.
• Makai’s a Lemon (see what I did there). Another fantasy flop makes it clear he’s not quite ready for the bright lights, failing to produce in a cupcake matchup. Wicks is solidified as the clear-cut WR2 and an obvious must-add in retrospect (wink).