Javon

Ringer

Chris Johnson’s backup was held out of practice all last week, but is in line to play against the Ravens this weekend. With the Titans looking to ramp up CJ2K’s workload after inexplicably giving him only nine carries in Week 1’s loss to the Jaguars, however, Ringer’s touches will be few and far between.

The third-year back has been sidelined since mid-August. Ringer will be in line for a handful of carries against the Ravens this weekend if he can get on the field. He, and not rookie Jamie Harper, remains CJ2K’s primary handcuff.

Ringer had five carries for 21 yards in Week 2, including a 10-yard touchdown. “I have always been a big Javon Ringer fan,” said Munchak. “I think he runs hard, he is smart, he can play third down for us and is a good blocker. We are very confident when he is in the game.” Ringer might be in the mix for 8-10 carries a week, but there are no indications that the Titans want a committee backfield. Ringer remains a solid handcuff for Chris Johnson.

He at least finished in the green overall with two catches for 17 yards. Even with Chris Johnson struggling for lanes and positive yardage, there’s a noticeable drop-off in skill when Ringer gets opportunities to run between the tackles. Consider Ringer a mere handcuff in a scuffling run game going forward.

Needless to say, it’s not an ideal fantasy situation. “I think every game will be different,” Munchak said. “I just think it depends on the flow of the game, how it’s going. I don’t think we’re consciously trying to decide by series who’s playing.” FB Ahmard Hall expects it to be a “hot-hand” situation. “There’s no controversy,” Hall insisted. “Javon (Ringer) was making some good runs and they decided to go with Javon. ... It’s just whoever’s hot.”

The fact that Ringer hasn’t already been placed on injured reserve is good news, but being ruled out this early for Sunday doesn’t bode well for his chances of suiting up in Week 16. Rookie Jamie Harper will back up Chris Johnson against the Colts.

Chris Johnson played well tonight and Ringer found himself back in his old change-of-pace role. While it’s hard to fully trust that Johnson has regained his groove, it looks like he had the wake-up call folks were waiting on. Owners will likely want to wait a week and see how things play out, but dropping Ringer for a valuable free agent isn’t out of the question.

With Chris Johnson finding his groove in the second half, Ringer was relegated to strict backup duty. Ringer did get the final two series of the first half all to himself, but he continues to show no special skills as a runner. At this point, he’s just a handcuff.

Nate Washington and Matt Hasselbeck are both active and expected to start. Michael Otto replaces Byron Stingily as the backup to David Stewart. Derrick Morgan and Sen’Derrick Marks provide depth along the defensive line.

Ringer played virtually every fourth-quarter snap, with Chris Johnson seeing action only when Ringer needed a breather. It’s quite possible that Ringer has passed Johnson on the depth chart. On Sunday, Ringer finished with 102 yards on 19 touches (5.37 average). Johnson managed a meager 51 yards on 17 touches (3.0 average), the vast majority coming in the first half. Coach Mike Munchak said in his post-game press conference that it’ll be a committee backfield going forward, but Ringer should be a top fantasy football pickup heading to Week 9. The Titans face the Bengals next.