Daboll to have Ward rely on Robinson on 3rd down

Robinson was bailed out of a disappointing fantasy day when he hauled in a three-yard touchdown pass from Cam Ward late in the fourth quarter. Robinson was heavily out-targeted by Carnell Tate in this one, but he and Tate continue to be the only fantasy-viable receivers in this Titans offense. Robinson could be in play as a desperation FLEX play in next week’s game agains the Texans.

Tate was targeted early and often in this one. The rookie first-rounder would lead the Titans in targets and found himself at the end of multiple big plays. Tate’s first reception resulted in a 22-yard gain, and he later popped up for a 35-yard catch in the second quarter, only to lose a fumble on the play moments later. Tate hauled in a clutch 33-yard reception on a fourth-and-10 play late in the fourth quarter as the Titans tried to mount a comeback, setting up a three-yard touchdown pass to Wan’Dale Robinson on the next play. Tate has been targeted 21 times over the last two weeks and will be a risky WR3/WR4 against the Texans in Week 5.

Ward’s second pass of the game resulted in an interception, but he would settle in to put together his most productive outing of the season. Ward linked up with rookie first-rounder Carnell Tate on multiple long gains and ended the day with four completions of 20-plus yards. The two would connect on a 33-yard pass late in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-10, and on the next play, Ward would find Wan’Dale Robinson for a three-yard score to cut the Ravens’ lead to 24-18. Ward did a good job at evading pressure in this one. Despite being pressured on 11 dropbacks, per PFF, only one of those resulted in a sack. Ward has been sacked just once over the last two weeks, but will have a tough challenge ahead of him next week when the Titans play host to the Texans. Ward projects as a low-end QB2 next week.

Asked about Ward’s continuing footwork disaster, Saleh said the second-year quarterback “usually starts off good then fades into old habits.” Titans beat writer Terry McCormick then asked Saleh “why if his footwork gets worse as the game goes on, why the offense has had such slow starts. [Saleh] said it has been dropped passes vs. Giants and defense not getting off field vs. Eagles.” Saleh has made a point to shield Ward from all criticism throughout the preseason and through three horrific regular season outings. Ward ranks 20th in accuracy and 29th in EPA per drop back this season. He’s fresh off throwing a game-deciding end zone interception against the lowly Giants in Week 3. Mitchell Trubisky will probably get a couple starts this season if Ward can’t turn things around.

Ward’s gotten off to a slow start in 2026, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for a meager 504 yards and two touchdowns in three games. He has improved his sack rate quite a bit, cutting it from 9.2 percent in 2025 to 5.38 percent so far this year. The Titans backup is Mitch Trubisky. It is probably too soon to give up on Ward, but it doesn’t bode well for his future that Saleh is already being asked the question. Ward will be one of the bottom five quarterbacks in the Week 4 fantasy rankings against the Ravens.

Robinson got in the end zone for the first time as a Titan on a quick out route late in the fourth quarter. He comfortably led the team in targets and catches, though Carnell Tate beat him by one yard. Robinson and Tate are the only game in town for receiving opportunities on this team, but Cam Ward’s struggles make it hard to trust either for fantasy purposes. Robinson is a FLEX consideration in deeper leagues for his Week 4 matchup with the Ravens.

The first-round rookie posted new high-water marks in every receiving category, though he did so while seeing fewer targets than Wan’Dale Robinson. Tate got going with a few chunk plays late in the game, setting up a Robinson touchdown and another scoring opportunity that was squandered by Cam Ward. Tate might be making incremental progress with this box score, but he’s still at the fringes of the WR4 discussion for Week 4 against the Ravens.

Ridley has been held without a catch in 2-of-3 games this year. He’s losing routes to Elic Ayomanor and not earning targets when on the field. He can be cut even in the deepest of leagues.

The Titans’ offense looked dead on arrival with 34 yards on their six first-half drives. They opened the game with four consecutive three-and-outs and didn’t get on the board until late in the fourth quarter, when Ward tossed a short touchdown to Wan’Dale Robinson. It looked like Ward was getting in rhythm late in the game, but he ended the contest with a ghastly interception directly into the hands of Jevon Holland, who was standing in the end zone waiting for the ball. Ward took care of the ball until the game-ending throw, but this was a one step forward, two steps back showing from the young passer. That has unfortunately been the case for the better part of the last three weeks. Ward is not on the fantasy radar for Week 4 against the Ravens, and his poor play is making all of the team’s fantasy options largely irrelevant.

The grabs were Ridley’s first two of the season. He also cost the Titans with a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Although it’s good to see Ridley’s Week 1 doughnut was something of an aberration, it’s not like he can be counted on for high-volume days going forward as the Titans sort out the rotation in their revamped skill corps. Despite his pedigree, Ridley can be safely left on 12-team league waiver wires.