The Tennessee Titans stay home in Week 15 to host the Cincinnati Bengals at Nissan Stadium.
Their last outing at home wasn’t pretty as the Titans fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 10-6, in a Jags fourth-quarter comeback. The Titans hope this week will be different, even though the Bengals are the early favorites.
For their part, the Bengals are coming off a last-second win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Week 14. The Bengals haven’t looked great this season, but at 5-8, their playoff hopes are still alive this week. A loss would likely take them out of the picture, so they will rely on their specialists to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Speaking of specialists, the Bengals have several who are capable of taking over the game at any time. The Titans’ defense will have its work cut out for it against them this week. Tennessee’s offense will likely rely heavily on Tony Pollard again this week, but is anyone else in Tennessee worth starting on your fantasy team?
Let’s take a peek at this week’s fantasy must-starts between the Titans and Bengals.
WR Ja’Marr Chase
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Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is having the best season of his career. He leads all receivers in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,319), touchdowns (15), yards after the catch (620), and receiving first downs (58). This week, he’s projected the most points by any wide receiver, and given his over 41-point performance against the Cowboys on Monday, it wouldn’t be surprising if he surpassed his projected 21.9 points. He’s a must-start every week in every league, especially as the playoffs begin.
QB Joe Burrow
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Joe Burrow came into the league like wildfire and almost instantly made the Bengals a better team. Despite their 5-8 record, Burrow leads all quarterbacks in passing yards (3,706), touchdowns (33), first downs (189), and is making a solid case for a Pro Bowl appearance. This week, Burrow is projected the sixth-most points by a quarterback, and the Titans allow opposing quarterbacks to score 18.5 fantasy points per game. If you’re lucky enough to have both Burrow and Chase, play them both.
RB Chase Brown
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The Bengals’ ball carrier doesn’t get a lot of attention because he has to share the field with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, but Chase Brown is a solid running back who would be a star on almost any other team. He’s projected the 8th most points by a running back this week against a Titans’ defense that hasn’t been great at stopping the run of late. Especially if the Bengals get out to an early lead, Chase will be utilized often as both a ball carrier and pass catcher.
RB Tony Pollard
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The Titans don’t have a lot to offer in the way of fantasy production this year, but Tony Pollard has the potential to break 1,000 yards rushing on the season this week. It would make his third consecutive season achieving that milestone, but this year he’s on pace to set a career-high in rushing yards. Couple that with the Bengals’ 22nd-ranked run defense and Pollard is a good ground option in Week 15.
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
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This one is going to surprise a lot of people, but tight ends have a favorable matchup against the 7th-worst receiving defense in the NFL that gives up the second-most fantasy points to tight ends. Chig Okonkwo is the most targeted tight end on the Titans’ roster, and it isn’t even close. He’s been targeted 42 times this season catching 30 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. His fantasy value is generally not worth much, but this week he should be on your radar if he’s on your roster.
