Tag: Treylon Burks fantasy football

Revamped Titans passing game offers fantasy hope

A revamped passing game and system offers fantasy promise.

Coming off another sub-.500 season, the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel and didn’t re-sign longtime stalwarts like running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill. It felt like the end of an era as the club hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to replace Vrabel and signed veteran wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to jumpstart a passing attack that ranked 29th in the NFL last year (180.4 yards/game) and hasn’t finished in the top 20 since 2011.

That duo joins three-time All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins and 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks in a receiver room that now boasts talent and experience. Questions remain, however, as QB Will Levis enters 2024 as the starter following an uneven showing as a rookie — he threw four TDs in his debut and then managed just four scoring strikes over his remaining eight games. Behind him are QBs Mason Rudolph and Malik Willis, neither of whom have lit up scoreboards in limited opportunities.

So, with the caveat that improved play from Levis is crucial to Tennessee’s receivers delivering the goods for fantasy football owners, let’s look at what Tennessee has to work with this season.

Fantasy football reaction to DeAndre Hopkins joining Titans

Just what can gamers expect from Nuk in the Music City?

While the deal isn’t official yet, free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will join the Tennessee Titans after being released by the Arizona Cardinals earlier in the year. The veteran returns to the AFC South and once again has quarterback concerns.

Competition for touches isn’t going to be a major concern, fortunately, but we have to question what will happen if Ryan Tannehill is injured or eventually benched. Rookie Will Levis appears to have the inside track for the QB2 gig and would be a downgrade from Tannehill, but a move to Malik Willis would be far more damaging.

The offense will remain run-oriented in focus. Hopkins, a possession receiver, should quickly emerge as the-go target for Tannehill, but with volume carrying his fantasy football value, it’s fair to be less optimistic about Nuk returning to the glory days. Treylon Burks should get a small bump as he’s now likely to face single coverage more often, and that actually seems to be better for the entire offense. Tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo may take the biggest hit as he will fight Hopkins for the checkdown work, whereas Tannehill becomes a viable QB2 option.

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Hopkins has missed time the last two years due to injuries but also a performance-enhancing drug suspension. Even still, he remains by far the most accomplished receiver in this offense and is only 31, which isn’t as punitive being a crafty route runner with stellar hands. Despite missing action in 2022 and having quarterback issues, Hopkins was on pace for 120 catches for 1,344 yards and 5.67 touchdowns. Only six receivers did better in PPR scoring last year, so don’t be so quick to put a fork in him … that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be realistic.

Working in Hopkins’ favor, Tennessee has a new offensive coordinator, Tim Kelly, who cut his teeth in Houston. Both spent 2019 together with the Texans when Kelly directed the offense, resulting in a 104-1,165-7 line for Hopkins on a hearty 150 looks in 15 games.

Fantasy football outlook

Even if Kelly opens up the playbook more, Derrick Henry will get his to an extreme degree by modern NFL standards. Can we confidently expect the 105 or so targets A.J. Brown drew from a similar system with Tannehill prior to being traded to Philly? That’s not out of the question by any means. If Tannehill is clicking, he’s a capable passer who won’t hold back this future Hall of Famer as much as the system itself might.

Depending on the depth of the format and casualness of the group of gamers, his name value could be a significant factor in draft placement. Hopkins should net out as a No. 2 in reception-rewarding formats when the music stops. All bets are off if we see Levis or Willis, however, for more than a couple of games.

Fantasy football preview: Tennessee Titans wide receivers

Is there any utility to be found among this cast of unproven pass catchers?

While there were certainly higher profile teams that failed to meet expectations last year, none of them endured the level of inseason collapse of the Tennessee Titans. The AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2021, the Titans won seven of their first 10 games in 2022 before dropping seven in a row to finish 7-10. At the heart of their struggles was a brutal offense that finished in the bottom five in points, yards, and passing as the quarterback trio of Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis, and Joshua Dobbs combined to average 171.4 yards per game through the air.

Despite those struggles, Tennessee made few moves to upgrade that part of the offense. In fact, wide receiver Robert Woods, who led the team with 527 yards receiving, is gone, and the only addition of note is 30-year-old WR Chris Moore. The Titans did potentially identify their quarterback of the future in Will Levis, though at this point the plan is to go with Tannehill as QB1 while Levis develops.

As you’d suspect, the passing game was better during the 12 games Tannehill played, averaging 211.3 yards per game, which would’ve ranked 19th in the NFL. Still, this looks like a work in progress, so let’s check out the receiving corps and identify who might hold some fantasy value in 2023.

Fantasy football outlook: WR Treylon Burks, Titans

Here’s what to expect in fantasy action from the new Tennessee wideout.

Anyone familiar with the Tennessee Titans knows that the offense runs through Derrick Henry and the ground game first. Henry has been counted on for 20 or more carries a game almost every week the last three years, which reduces the number of offensive snaps in games because every rush takes 30-40 seconds off the game clock.

Yet, Tennessee had a fairly potent pass offense because Ryan Tannehill could count on A.J. Brown and Corey Davis to get the job done on the outside (with eight defenders in the box). Those days are over, since the Titans allowed Davis to leave via free agency in 2021, traded Brown before the 2022 draft, and cut Julio Jones this spring.

Tennessee used the pick received from Philadelphia for Brown (No. 18) to select Treylon Burks from Arkansas. A huge receiver (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), Burks was a downfield threat who caught 66 passes for 1,104 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. But what makes Burks, who has drawn physical comparisons to Brown, an intriguing fantasy talent is how he was used in the Razorbacks’ gimmick offense.

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He lined up everywhere on the field, including in the backfield. He finished his college career with 38 carries for 222 yards to go with his receiving production and wasn’t a speed receiver, like Percy Harvin, taking reverses. He was much more like San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel, who took carries to the outside and between the tackles as well.

Despite some recent changes, the Titans have one of the more dominant offensive lines in the NFL and attack defenders in the run game, which plays into the idea of replication as the shadiest form of flattery.

Samuel is currently unique in the amount of time he spends running the ball for a pure wide receiver, especially near the goal line. The NFL is a copycat league, and if something works for one team others with similar styles quickly steal the idea to incorporate it into their own schemes. Burks fits that role with the Titans and their razor-thin receiver corps. He may be asked to wear multiple hats in Tennessee’s offense.

Burks missed most of OTAs with asthma-related conditioning issues, although he has returned to the field for training camp and looks every bit the part.

Fantasy football takeaway

In fantasy football, opportunity plays as big a role as anything and Burks is being allowed through the velvet rope past the line. The only veteran wide receiver is Robert Woods, and he’s coming off a significant knee injury. Third-year man Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the biggest name left from last year, and he caught only 38 passes. Trivia answers Dez Fitzpatrick, Racey McMath and Cody Hollister combined to play in 16 games last year, and they’re the second line of the depth chart.

Burks needs to be a savior.

When it comes to fantasy value, in a 12-player format, rank Burks at a very low-end WR3 and more likely a WR4 — simply because he is going to get so much defensive attention given there’s nobody else demanding double coverage. The road is paved for him to be the No. 1 guy, giving him a bit of sleeper appeal. The question is can a rookie a sketchy supporting cast handle that pressure right out of the gate?

Fantasy football rookie receivers: Drake London vs. Treylon Burks

Which rookie should gamers target in fantasy football drafts?

It’s almost a rite of passage in the NFL that when an organization parts with a star receiver – either by retirement, release, trade or via free agency – those teams waste little time in trying to replace them in the draft.

Such is the case for both the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans, who have seen their receiver corps reduced for a variety of reasons and both used first-round picks to address the issue.

Atlanta was the first to address wide receiver in the draft when they selected Drake London with the eighth pick. The Falcons have a glaring need at wide receiver since they traded Julio Jones in 2021, let Russell Gage leave in free agency, and will be without Calvin Ridley, who is currently serving a suspension.

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The same is true with Tennessee. Over 13 months, the Titans moved on from Corey Davis, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones.

So who would you rather have of these two perceived draft saviors?

Fantasy football preview: Tennessee Titans wide receivers

The new-look receiving corps has plenty of unanswered questions for fantasy gamers.

Entering last season, the Tennessee Titans felt they had one of the better one-two punches in the NFL at the wide receiver position with A.J. Brown (now with the Philadelphia Eagles) and Julio Jones (currently a free agent).

That hope died on the vine.

Injuries limited Brown to 13 games and Jones to 10, and the latter looked like a shell of his former self after coming over from the Atlanta Falcons. Brown generally played well, but the team didn’t want to pay top dollar and traded him to Philly on draft night for first- and fourth-round picks.

With the first-round selection, the Titans drafted Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks, a physical specimen they hope will step into the void created by Brown’s departure. The Titans also picked up another veteran to replace Jones in the person of Robert Woods, who became expendable when the Los Angeles Rams signed Allen Robinson in free agency.

Robert Woods

Although it might be tempting to slot the first-rounder into the top spot, we’re going to stick with the player that has NFL reps under his belt. Woods has never been the most dynamic of targets, topping 1,000 yards in a season just twice in nine years in the league, but he’s a reliable chain mover who can also make some things happen on jet sweeps and reverses — the 30-year-old ran for 473 yards on 68 carries over his last four seasons in LA, a healthy 6.9 yards per rush.

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Proving he’s back at full health will be the first test for Woods, who tore his ACL last November in a game against the Titans. He’ll have roughly 10 months to get right before the season opener, and given how much quicker players have been recovering that seems like a reasonable goal. The veteran rates as far and away the most accomplished receiver on the roster, and that should make him a popular target for a risk-averse quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.

Treylon Burks

The sixth and final receiver selected in the first round of this year’s draft, Burks boasts similar physical credentials to the man he replaces — Brown checked in at 6-foot-1, 226 pounds, Burks is listed as 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. The Arkansas product has good speed and more elusiveness than you might expect from someone who can run through tackles. Beyond Brown, another popular comp was San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, whose physicality was put to exceptional use in 2021.

Where Burks has a long way to go is as a route runner. Much of his work in college came around the line of scrimmage, and that may be what we see a lot of in Year 1 with a steady diet of screens, quick outs, and slants to simply get the ball in his hands and let him create.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Tennessee’s leading returning receiver, Westbrook-Ikhine finished second to Brown in receptions (38), receiving yards (476), and TDs (4). Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana in 2020, Westbrook-Ikhine has good size, is a capable blocker in the running game, and has shown the ability to line up both outside and in the slot. He’ll likely fill the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, though he could slide down based on the progress of several young wideouts, including fifth-round pick Kyle Philips and second-year pros Dez Fitzpatrick (5-49-1) and Racey McMath (2-8-0).

Fantasy football outlook

Barring injury or a setback, Woods and Burks are the names to focus on in Tennessee. The veteran is likely to be Tannehill’s primary read on developing passing plays while Burks figures to contribute more on quick hitters.

Both wideouts belong around that WR3/WR4 threshold, so it comes down to what you’re looking for on draft day. If you want a steady producer, Woods is your guy. If you’re rolling the dice on upside, Burks is the better option. There should be increased overall concern for pedestrian performances by both based on the quarterback situation, injury recovery, offensive system, and a learning curve.

Anyone manning the No. 3 role has fringe value based on the right matchup and can be ignored on draft day, however.

Fantasy football team previews: AFC South

Plenty of turnover in the division will make things interesting in fantasy.

The 2022 fantasy football draft season is starting to heat up now that we’ve gone through the height of free agency and all of the chosen rookies have been assigned to their professional home cities.

The landscape has changed a great deal for many franchises after a whirlwind offseason, and our divisional preview series will help you stay on top of all of the changes to date.

AFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West

NFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West