Every week we discuss the fantasy players you must play given the matchup that they face that week. The Tennessee Titans’ players haven’t been quite as successful in the fantasy arena as some would like, and this week that disappointment is matched by the New England Patriots, who are having almost as bad a season as the Titans.
The thing is, both of these teams are struggling in different ways, which creates intriguing matchups in fantasy. The Titans boast a better defense than the Patriots, but New England has a better record than the Titans. The way these two teams line up against each other, we could see some guys getting some serious points this weekend.
Now, this is not to say that you should go and hunt down these players to add them to your roster. You probably shouldn’t do that unless you have an injured player who needs to be replaced. However, if you already roster any of these players, look closely at the matchup as it may be more beneficial to you than other matchups you face this week.
That said, here are five players from the Titans and Patriots you should consider starting in Week 9.
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Titans running back Tony Pollard has been the most consistent and reliable form of offense for his team this season. Shoddy quarterback play behind a sketchy offensive line has led the Titans to become more reliant on Pollard, and even though Julius Chestnut is there to help in the absence of Tyjae Spears, the level of trust isn’t the same.
Pollard is projected 15.4 points against the Patriots, and he should get at least that. The Patriots allow 4.5 yards per carry, and while Pollard’s average is 4.3, the Titans have faced some pretty tough defenses the last few weeks. The Patriots rush defense is in the bottom 10 in the NFL.
If the Titans are smart, they’ll feed Pollard all day on Sunday.
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Rhamondre Stevenson is the Patriots’ top running back this season. He has recorded 104 carries for 422 yards, an average of 4.1 yards per carry, and five rushing touchdowns. He’s also fumbled the ball four times, losing it twice, and grabbed 18 passes for 61 yards.
The Titans’ defense was its strongest point early in the season, and while it still is its strong point, it’s not as strong as it was. The injuries have really piled up this season and trading away Ernest Jones IV killed the momentum the defense had. Stevenson will get his touches against the Titans for sure, likely a good candidate for your FLEX spot.
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Calvin Ridley had his best outing as a member of the Titans last week, recording 10 receptions for 143 yards. He did not see the end zone, but that he’s putting up over 100 yards is a positive sign.
It may be that the Titans had too many options for their quarterbacks and trading DeAndre Hopkins simplified things. The offense is still rough, but the Patriots’ secondary doesn’t match up well with Ridley. He’s projected 11.2 points, but he could easily end up with more if he finds the end zone this week.
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The Titans have the top pass defense in the league, believe it or not. The problem now is what we saw last week against the Detroit Lions. The defense is fatigued, there are too many injuries and not enough players on any part of the defensive side. L’Jarius Sneed has been less than stellar, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is a rookie and still makes mistakes, and the other corners aren’t as talented as those two which leaves Quandre Diggs and Amani Hooker picking up the slack.
Hunter Henry is the Patriots’ top target and he’s projected 9.5 points. As a tight end, that’s not terrible for one, but also, he’s probably going to score a touchdown against these Titans and end up with more points than projected. He’s a smart tight end play if you have him on your roster.
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Let’s be real, there’s no real faith that the Titans will do much of anything on the field. It doesn’t matter who they face, this team is in chaos and the players are disgruntled at best. They managed two touchdowns last week, and they’ll probably hit the end zone a couple of times again this week, but I’m more inclined to believe that the Titans’ points will be scored by Nick Folk this week.
Provided the Titans don’t turn the ball over when they get to field goal range. Folk is projected 7.7 points this week, and given who the Titans are playing, he should hit that mark.
