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Under new leadership with Brian Callahan as head coach and Nick Holz as offensive coordinator, the Titans aim for a turnaround from last year’s 6-11 finish. The Titans bolstered their offense by acquiring wide receiver Calvin Ridley, providing Will Levis with a dynamic target. The Titans offense was 27th in scoring in 2023 and the hope is that Ridley’s speed on the other side of DeAndre Hopkins could lift the top off defensive secondaries.
Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Titans’ entire team outlook including changes to the top of the depth chart that matter for Fantasy, a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for all of the notable Titans players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.
Henry’s departure from the Titans was anticipated, especially with the team’s shift to a pass-heavy offense under new head coach Brian Callahan. Spears, who played a supporting role in 2023, is now poised to take on a larger workload in Henry’s absence. Additionally, the Titans signed Pollard from the Cowboys, adding depth with a similar skill set to Spears. There are advantages to having backs with the same attributes. When there are multiple running backs that can do the same thing, the play-caller never has to think about which running back is in the game. However, there are disadvantages to this approach as well. Closing out games could prove to be difficult if neither back can churn out the tough yards against stacked boxes. The situation could be like the Chargers in previous years under Brandon Staley, where the four-minute offense didn’t exist and left quarterback Justin Herbert prone to making mistakes in the fourth quarter. Hopefully, Levis doesn’t encounter similar pitfalls under Brian Callahan.
By Dan Schneier and CBS Fantasy staff
Levis got an opportunity to start in 2023 as a rookie and threw four TD passes in his first career game against the Falcons. The rest of his rookie season wasn’t quite as productive, however, as he completed just four TD passes over the final eight starts after his debut. Levis struggled to keep the offense on the field and in scoring position as a rookie, but his 2024 outlook is significantly different. First of all, the Titans hired Brian Callahan to run the offense after he found success with both Joe Burrow and Jake Browning during his stint running the Bengals offense. He brought his father, Bill Callahan, one of the best offensive line coaches in NFL history to revive an O-line that has since also added first-round pick JC Latham. The Titans also signed Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard this offseason to add more explosiveness to their offense. Levis has the opportunity to jump into the QB2 and even QB1 range with this supporting cast, but he is typically undrafted in 1QB leagues.
Rudolph enters this season as the No. 2 quarterback for the Titans behind Will Levis. Rudolph is not worth drafting in the majority of leagues. The former Steelers quarterback will need Levis to struggle in his sophomore season or get injured for Rudolph to be Fantasy relevant. If that happens then just add Rudolph off the waiver wire.
Pollard’s first shot at being a feature back didn’t go as planned. He received 55 more carries than the year before and produced two fewer yards on the ground. He saw 12 more targets and had 60 fewer receiving yards. Needless to say, the efficiency regressed with volume. But that may not be the full story. Pollard himself has said he wasn’t 100% to start the season and his rushing production did pick up in the second half. In Tennessee he’ll compete for touches with Tyjae Spears and while we expect Pollard to be the 1A, we do envision a close split. Start looking for Pollard in Round 5 as a low-end No. 2 running back and be thrilled if he falls to you in Round 6.
Spears has an excellent opportunity to take a big step forward in Year 2 and he will compete for touches with Tony Pollard. The most impressive part of Spears’ rookie season was the role he earned in the passing game. That should carry over with new head coach Brian Callahan. He has an extensive track record involving his backs in the passing game. In 2023, Pollard struggled to return from an injury he suffered during the 2022 postseason and never looked his typical explosive self. If Pollard struggles again in 2024, Spears could be a league-winning pick. You can grab Spears in the Rounds 8-9 range of your drafts.
Johnson joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, and he could be the rare UDFA worth selecting late in rookie-only drafts. While Johnson did not test well, he brings a physicality at running back that was a signature trait of the longtime franchise back who left this offseason, Derrick Henry. Of course, that’s about where the similarities end, as Henry is a far superior downhill runner. Still, Johnson should get the chance to compete for a spot on a wide-open depth chart for the Titans, which at least makes him worth monitoring in deep Dynasty leagues.
Ridley rose up draft boards last summer after receiving glowing training camp reports with the expectation that he could return WR1 value working with Trevor Lawrence. Ultimately, his 2023 season didn’t live up to the hype. Ridley still topped 1,000 yards (1,016), but he only caught 76 of his 136 targets and finished as the WR17 despite being drafted as a WR1. Ridley led the NFL in end zone targets and he cashed those in for eight touchdowns. Those targets and his overall target share may be harder to come by in a developing pass game after signing with the Titans. Second-year QB Will Levis likely still has growing pains to work through and Ridley will compete with DeAndre Hopkins for targets. Ridley is worth drafting in the Rounds 4-5 range of your Fantasy drafts, but he doesn’t carry the same upside he did heading into the 2023 season.
Hopkins had stretches of dominant production in 2023 despite inconsistent QB play from rookie Will Levis. He turned 137 targets into 75 receptions and commanded a nearly 30% target share. He also found success in the vertical game with 27 receptions of 20+ yards. This is important because his ability to win on the vertical plane is crucial since it fits Levis’ skill set. Hopkins will be more of a WR2 in 2024 after the team signed Calvin Ridley but he makes for a value pick in the Rounds 8-9 range of drafts.
Boyd signed with Tennessee this offseason, and he’s expected to be the No. 3 receiver for the Titans behind Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins. Boyd is worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. The positive for Boyd is Brian Callahan, the new head coach in Tennessee, was the offensive coordinator for the Bengals with Boyd. But Boyd also has to establish a rapport with second-year quarterback Will Levis, who has a lot to prove. After three years in a row averaging at least 12.8 PPR points per game from 2018-20, Boyd has been at 11.5 PPR points per game or less for three years in a row, including just 8.5 PPR points per game in 2023. He could be entering the twilight of his career at 29, and his move to the Titans is a downgrade. But he could still have plenty of positive moments, and if he’s not drafted in most leagues then keep an eye on him as a potential waiver-wire option during the season.
Burks will be competing for a roster spot despite being a former first-round draft pick unless he takes a major leap forward in training camp. He has dropped to fourth on the depth chart after the offseason additions of Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, with the latter having familiarity in new coach Brian Callahan’s scheme. Burks may still be worth stashing at the end of the bench in Dynasty to see if he ends up in a more favorable situation by Week 1, but he is not worth rostering in redraft Fantasy leagues until he receives significant playing time.
Okonkwo was a trendy sleeper pick last summer but ultimately disappointed, scoring just one touchdown and seeing his yards per route run plummet from 2.61 in 2022 to 1.31 in 2023. He scored just the 29th-most Fantasy points per game at the TE position. In 2024, Okonkwo could be a post-hype sleeper if the offense takes a step forward in Will Levis’ second season. However, he has more target competition after the team signed Calvin Ridley. There are better TEs to invest in on draft day.
Folk finished with the 19th-most Fantasy points among all kickers in 2023, and although the Titans offense is expected to afford more scoring opportunities in 2024, there are better options to fill your kicker spot on Draft Day.
The addition of one of the best young defensive minds (Dennard Wilson) in football as Titans defensive coordinator should help this unit rebound, and they still have one of the best interior disrupters in football in Jeffrey Simmons, but major question marks remain in the secondary for Tennessee. The Titans scored the 26th-most Fantasy points per game in 2023 and are unlikely to be worth rostering in 2024.
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