fbpx
Home / frontfantasy / 2022 Fantasy Football Preview: Tennessee Titans
AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

2022 Fantasy Football Preview: Tennessee Titans


For full player rankings (redraft/dynasty), eight printable cheat sheets, season projections, Best Ball Mania III tips, exclusive betting advice, and much more, join Fantasy Consigliere. And if you find these write-ups helpful, we would recommend purchasing our 2022 fantasy football draft guide to get our full thoughts and rankings all in one place.

 

Player Outlooks (2022)

 

QB Ryan Tannehill: Tennessee is counting on the combination of Robert Woods and first-round pick Treylon Burks to make up for the loss of A.J. Brown, but it’s tough to not downgrade Tannehill after losing one of the game’s top wideouts. It’s also notable that Tannehill turns 34 today, so it might be unwise to count on his rushing production remaining high (14 combined touchdowns over the past two seasons). He could easily beat expectations, but we would feel more comfortable with someone like Jameis Winston or Matt Ryan as a strong QB2.

 

QB Malik Willis: Willis has all the physical tools and intangibles to be a star if he puts everything together at the next level, but the strides he’ll need to make as a pure quarterback should keep Ryan Tannehill comfortably in the starting role for 2022. If the third-round rookie does end up in the lineup (likely via injury), he’d be a worthwhile pickup in redraft leagues due to his rushing ability.

 

RB Derrick Henry: A foot injury derailed his season, but Henry was on pace for a historic campaign in 2021—handling 27.4 attempts per game for a total of 937 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns in eight appearances. Plus, he became more involved as a pass-catcher with 2.3 receptions per game, and we are willing to say the foot injury was a fluke thing rather than any kind of concern about Henry breaking down. He should remain a high-end RB1.

 

RB Dontrell Hilliard: Hilliard was a guy that flashed when on the field before last year, but he took full advantage of an increased opportunity after landing with the Titans for eight games last season—rushing 56 times for 350 yards (6.3 YPC) and two touchdowns. The work in the passing game (just 87 yards on 19 receptions) should become more efficient as a change-of-pace option, and Hilliard can carry some bye-week FLEX appeal in very deep PPR formats.

 

RB Hassan Haskins: A fourth-round pick out of Michigan, Haskins broke out for the Wolverines last season—rushing 270 times for 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns. We’d expect Henry to be fed again, but the 22-year-old should see some action (especially in weeks where the Titans are up big) and would be the preferred handcuff as a bigger back at 228 pounds.

 

WR Treylon Burks: Will the conditioning issues for Burks at OTAs be the 2022 version of Ja’Marr Chase dropping passes in the preseason? Ultimately, there is no reason to overreact, and Burks is a big wideout with build-up speed and toughness with the ball in his hands. Perhaps the first-rounder carries more risk than you’d like, but we’d certainly be investing well ahead of his current price (consensus WR45), and Burks is in the ideal situation to put up numbers.

 

WR Robert Woods: The versatility of Woods—who rushed for yardage totals of 157, 115, and 155 over his past three healthy seasons—had to be appealing to Tennessee, and the veteran might still be in Los Angeles right now if not for a torn ACL suffered last fall. With the Titans, Woods could essentially be the co-No.1 wideout with Treylon Burks, and his toughness is something that fits very well with Mike Vrabel’s squad. He’s a borderline WR3/WR4.

 

WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: Westbrook-Ikhine spent a lot of time as the No. 2 wideout for Tennessee last season, but now he’ll shift into the No. 3 role for an offense that has been very slanted towards the stars. That said, he’s a definite value in both redraft (WR119 consensus) and dynasty leagues (WR145).

 

WR Kyle Philips: Philips is one of the most overlooked rookies of the 2022 class, as he could end up winning the slot job out of camp and has a more physical build than people might realize if you didn’t watch him at UCLA. If Ryan Tannehill forms a quick connection with him in scoring territory, Year 1 value is possible after Philips caught ten scores in his final season with the Bruins.

 

WRs Dez Fitzpatrick and Racey McMath: Fitzpatrick and McMath are entering their second season, and the Titans will be hoping for a leap from one or both of them. We preferred Fitzpatrick coming out of college with impressive natural receiving skills, but McMath has the edge in terms of prototype size/athleticism that could get him on the field in 2022.

 

TE Austin Hooper: Hooper had modest lines of 46/435/4 and 38/345/3 in two years with the Browns, but he’s stepping into another clear starting role for a Tennessee team that thrives on play-action throws when Derrick Henry gets rolling. The downside is the Titans often getting contributions from the No. 2 and No. 3 tight ends based on how the offense operates, so Hooper can be a frustrating player to project for from week-to-week. He’ll need to make his money in the red zone like Jonnu Smith did a couple of seasons ago (when he scored eight touchdowns).

 

TE Geoff Swaim: Again, the backup tight ends for Tennessee seem to randomly find the end zone more than they do for any other team, and Swaim is coming off career-highs in receptions (31) and touchdowns (three). The playing time (65%) might decrease with Austin Hooper being the clear starter, so Swaim should fall back closer to 50% like he was two seasons ago.

 

TE Chigoziem Okonkwo: A raw, on-the-ground tight end with 4.52 speed, we’re guessing the Titans saw some of Jonnu Smith in Okonkwo’s game—especially since the rookie compared himself to the former Tennessee tight end prior the draft. Year 1 production might not be something to count on, but Okonkwo is a quality dynasty stash.

 

Other Notes

 

Best 2022 value: RB Derrick Henry (FantasyPros ECR: RB4)

Dating way back to December of 2018 when he was finally unleashed, Henry has averaged 116.6 rushing yards and 1.2 rushing touchdowns per game (on 5.1 yards per carry) across 44 outings. Not having A.J. Brown will lead to continued reliance on the monster runner, and especially because of the boost he gets when winter arrives, “King Henry” should be an easy top-three selection with a strong case to be the second player drafted in 0.5 PPR leagues.

 

Best dynasty investment: RB Derrick Henry

Our dynasty rankings lean towards top-tier running backs, and there is no reason to believe Henry will suddenly fall off based on his production when in the lineup last season. Ranked outside the top 12 at the position (according to FantasyPros consensus), Henry is a tremendous value in dynasty leagues and someone you can build a championship roster around.

 

Stat to know

Derrick Henry averaged 23.0 fantasy points per game in eight appearances last year. Only Josh Allen (24.6) had a higher per-game average.