Fantasy Football Week 16: Complete Thursday Night Preview
Talk about a lack of anticipation?
The Jacksonville Jaguars host the Tennessee Titans in the final Thursday night NFL tilt of the season. Talk about going out with a whimper instead of a bang. It’s a battle of 2-12 teams featuring a Tennessee squad that owns a league-worst eight-game losing streak.
Still, we are talking fantasy football ramifications here. Then again, the Titans (231) and Jaguars (211) have combined for 442 points, equaling the season total of the New England Patriots (442).
Be it reality or fantasy, it’s safe to say that pickings are slim here. Hey, it happens.
However, for a few owners out there who are in the midst of the league’s fantasy postseason, there may be a player or unit on the field Thursday night that may indeed make a difference.
Starting Quarterbacks
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Tennessee Titans: Charlie Whitehurst
He makes his fourth start of the season on Thursday night after coming off the bench last week when Jake Locker was injured. Against the New York Jets, he finished 10-of-24 for 203 yards, did not throw a touchdown pass and was not intercepted.
In 2014, Whitehurst has completed 56.6 percent of his throws, totaling five scores and being picked off twice. He’s also rushed 13 times for 59 yards.
But it’s also worth noting that he was at the helm of this team when it last won a game. Against the Jaguars in Week 7, Whitehurst threw for 233 yards and was sacked three times in a 16-14 victory.
Fantasy Prediction: 19-of-32, 192 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. 2 carries, 15 yards, 0 TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles
The third overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft wasn’t expected to take the field this season. But Bortles has done just that in more ways than one.
The talented performer has taken his lumps this season, throwing 10 touchdown passes compared to 17 interceptions, with four of those thefts being returned for scores. He’s also been sacked 46 times as the Jaguars have allowed a league-high 62 sacks in 14 contests.
Fantasy Prediction: 21-of-30, 229 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. 4 carries, 21 yards, 0 TD.
Running Backs
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Tennessee Titans Starter: Bishop Sankey
The Tennessee running game ranks 27th in the league this season and has been limited to less than 100 yards rushing in nine straight games.
The first running back taken in the 2014 draft, Sankey has run for a team-high 507 yards on 134 carries and a pair of touchdowns. He’s also caught just 17 passes for 124 yards.
In last week’s loss to the Jets, Sankey ran for eight yards on just three attempts.
Fantasy Prediction: 12 carries, 52 yards, 0 TD. 2 receptions, 9 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans Backup: Shonn Greene
There was a Shonn Greene sighting last week. Last Sunday against his one-time employer, he ran a season-high 16 times for 50 yards versus the Jets.
In his second season with the Titans, Greene was looking to rebound from a disappointing 2013 in which he ran for 295 yards and four touchdowns.
This year, he ranks second on the team with 270 yards on the ground. He has scored two touchdowns and has caught only one pass this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 8 carries, 34 yards, 0 TD. 0 receptions.
Jacksonville Jaguars Starter: Toby Gerhart
Jacksonville ranks 25th in the NFL in rushing offense this season, and the team’s leader in this category is Denard Robinson—who is now out of action for the remainder of 2014.
Gerhart missed two games earlier this season and ranks third on the team with 265 yards rushing and a score in 12 games. The former Minnesota Vikings backup has also totaled 19 catches for 179 yards in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 14 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD. 4 receptions, 24 yards, 0 TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars Backup: Jordan Todman
He’s the backup to Gerhart but has totaled only 20 carries for 63 yards rushing this season. Todman has totaled 18 catches for 147 yards. But there have been zero touchdowns for the young running back in 2014.
Could rookie Storm Johnson steal some of Todman’s carries versus Tennessee? It’s a distinct possibility.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 carries, 17 yards, 0 TD. 0 receptions.
Wide Receivers
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Tennessee Titans: Nate Washington
Last season, Washington totaled 58 grabs for 919 yards and three scores. This year, he’s been hot as of late following a so-so start.
After totaling only 19 receptions for 267 yards and zero touchdowns in his first nine games this season, Washington has equaled that catch total the last five weeks, good for 362 yards and a pair of scores. He totaled a season-high 102 receiving yards last Sunday.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Derek Hagan
The one-time third-round pick of the Miami Dolphins (2006) is with his fifth team in eight NFL seasons. Hagan, who didn’t play football in 2013, has been targeted 22 times and caught 14 passes for 191 yards and a score this season.
It’s also worth noting that last Sunday versus the Jets, he was targeted five times and failed to catch a pass.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 23 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Kendall Wright
This season, Wright ranks second on the Titans with 51 catches and 633 receiving yards and leads the team with five touchdown grabs.
The first-round pick in 2012 from Baylor University has piled up his share of receptions (209) in three seasons but has scored only 11 touchdowns. Wright also owns a disappointing 11.2 career average per reception.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 40 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Kris Durham
All four of Durham’s receptions this season (for 44 yards) have come in the last two weeks. He’s spent the vast majority of 2014 on the inactive list.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Cecil Shorts
Just like the running game with Denard, the Jaguars have a Robinson leading the team in a category despite the fact that he’s out for the rest of the season. Allen Robinson leads the club with 48 catches but has missed the last five games.
Shorts was inactive for three of Jacksonville’s first five games but is tied for second on the team with 46 catches. But he’s totaled just 495 receiving yards (10.8 average) with only one touchdown.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 61 yards, 0 TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Marqise Lee
Like Allen Robinson, Lee was a second-round pick in May. This season, he’s totaled 31 catches for 349 yards and one score. Like Shorts, he’s also missed three games in 2014.
It’s also worth noting that Lee has seen a lot more passes his way the last four weeks. Over that span, he’s totaled 18 receptions for 208 yards and the aforementioned score—being targeted a combined 30 times during that stretch.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 58 yards, 2 TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Ace Sanders
After being suspended for the first four games this season, the second-year pro has been targeted six times and caught five passes for 31 yards in 10 contests. Obviously, a productive season was not in the cards for him in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 33 yards, 0 TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Allen Hurns
The rookie free agent from the University of Miami made a splash in Week 1 when he caught a pair of touchdown passes in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
This year, Hurns is tied for second on the club with 46 catches, good for a team-high 636 yards.
Keep in mind that the Jaguars have thrown for only 13 scores in 14 games; Hurns has been on the receiving end of six of those touchdowns.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 15 yards, 0 TD.
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Tight Ends
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Tennessee Titans Starter: Delanie Walker
The one-time San Francisco 49ers performer has been an excellent addition to what has been a disappointing team the last two years.
This season, Walker leads the team in catches (52) and receiving yards (793) and has scored four touchdowns. In 2013, he caught a club-high six touchdown receptions, totaling 60 catches for 571 yards.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 63 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans Backup: Chase Coffman
Coffman has totaled five catches for 50 yards and one score this season, with most of that (three receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown) coming in the team’s Monday night loss to Pittsburgh five weeks ago. He’s been targeted once in each of the Titans’ last two games and has zero catches.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 16 yards, 0 TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars Starter: Marcedes Lewis
The former touchdown machine has been limited to only six games this season, totaling 16 catches for 200 yards and one score. Lewis has caught just eight passes in his four games since returning to action in Week 11.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 13 yards, 0 TD.
Jacksonville Jaguars Backup: Clay Harbor
Inactive the first three weeks of the season and with only one catch in the team’s last four games (since Lewis returned), Harbor still ranks fifth on the team with 26 receptions and has scored only one touchdown.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 25 yards, 0 TD.
Defense/Special Teams
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Tennessee Titans Defense/Special Teams
This has not been a unit to hang your hat on.
Led by nose tackle Jurrell Casey (five), Ray Horton’s defensive unit has totaled 34 sacks in 14 games this season. But after sacking Ben Roethlisberger five times in a Week 11 loss to the Steelers, the Titans have totaled five sacks in their last four games.
The Titans have also forced only 16 turnovers this year but do have a dozen interceptions. But the most disappointing aspect of this unit has been its play against the run. No team in the league has allowed more rushing yards per game (139.6) than Tennessee.
Fantasy Prediction: 26 points allowed, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 0 FF.
Jacksonville Jaguars Defense/Special Teams
It’s difficult to get excited about a unit that has allowed the fifth-most total yards in the league this season. But Gus Bradley’s team has done a great job of improving on one aspect that interests fantasy football owners the most.
In 14 games this season, Jacksonville has totaled 38 sacks, the most by the team since 2005 (47). The Jaguars were tied for last in the league last year with only 31 sacks in 2013 and managed an NFL-low 20 sacks the season before that.
We say that this group gets to Charlie Whitehurst often on Thursday night, with one of those sacks resulting in a safety.
Fantasy Prediction: 14 points allowed, 6 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF.
Best Sleeper Adds
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If your team is still alive in the fantasy playoffs, it’s likely that you don’t need a lot of help here and will “dance with the girl who brung ‘ya.” But we’ll throw out a few names in case your roster is a little banged up.
1. Derek Hagan, Wide Receiver, Tennessee Titans (Owned in 5.3 percent of ESPN leagues): He’s only caught four passes for 44 yards this season, but those catches have come in the last two games.
2. Storm Johnson, Running Back, Jacksonville Jaguars (Owned in 0.5 percent of ESPN leagues): The rookie from Central Florida looked good last week in limited time versus the Baltimore Ravens. He may be able to help in a pinch.
Injury Report
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Here is a look at some key bumps and bruises when it comes to both the Titans and Jaguars. The complete injury report for both teams can be found at NFL.com.
Tennessee Titans | ||
Player | Status | |
Dexter McCluster | RB | Out |
Zach Mettenberger | QB | Doubtful |
Taylor Lewan | T | Doubtful |
Kendall Wright | WR | Questionable |
Delanie Walker | TE | Questionable |
Kamerion Wimbley | LB | Questionable |
The absence of McCluster takes the team’s top punt returner off the field, which could hurt the Titans offense in terms of field position. We already know that Whitehurst will start at quarterback. Walker and Wright rank first and second on the team, respectively, in receptions, and both were limited in practice on Wednesday.
Jacksonville Jaguars | ||
Player | Status | |
Andre Branch | DE | Out |
Blake Bortles | QB | Questionable |
Roy Miller | DT | Questionable |
Josh Evans | S | Questionable |
Marqise Lee | WR | Probable |
Chris Clemons | DE | Probable |
Jacksonville’s defensive front could be hurting a bit with Branch out and Miller not practicing the last three days. Meanwhile, Clemons and Lee are both on the report but practiced all week.
Sit or Start
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This matchup doesn't feature a lot of star power, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some points to be found out there on Thursday night.
QB Charlie Whitehurst (Titans): There’s not a large body of work to go on here, but keep in mind that Whitehurst faced Jacksonville earlier this season. He also did not throw a touchdown pass or interception in that October contest.
Verdict: Sit
RB Toby Gerhart (Jaguars): It’s not been a big year for the big back, but his Jaguars will be facing the worst rushing defense in the league on Thursday night.
Verdict: Start
WR Marqise Lee (Jaguars): Look for the promising rookie to double his touchdown production this week as quarterback Blake Bortles burns a Tennessee defense that is braced for the run.
Verdict: Start
Some statistical support provided by Pro-Football-Reference, NFL.com and ESPN.com. Depth chart info provided by Ourlads.
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