Tennessee

Titans

Still yet to score this season, Okonkwo continues to pair the most modest of floors with the most nonexistent of ceilings. That will not change during the fantasy playoffs, leaving Okonkwo out of sight, out of mind in both re-draft and DFS fantasy.

Today snapped a streak of three straight four-catch performances for the rookie fourth-rounder. There just wasn’t any volume in the Titans’ passing attack with Tony Pollard going bonkers on the ground. Cam Ward completed 14 passes, generating 117 yards in the process. Helm has showed enough that he can be considered a potential future TE1 — emphasis on “potential” — but even TE2 status will be difficult to come by during the fantasy playoffs with Chig Okonkwo still successfully vying for looks down the seam.

That’s a highly disappointing yardage total considering Dike’s catches and targets, but the looks matched a season high. The score was also his second in three weeks. The Titans have followed through on their pledge to get Dike more involved down the stretch. It has been difficult for it to translate to real fantasy value because of Cam Ward’s ongoing struggles, but Dike is still looking like someone who could be an eventual fantasy WR3. That will not include for Week 15 against the 49ers. Fantasy managers simply have too many other higher-ceiling options with the playoffs beginning.

Ayomanor’s first quarter score came after a play fake helped him a get a step on the DB in man coverage. It was a great start, but unfortunately his only action on a day where the Titans surprisingly road paved Cleveland on the ground. Ayomanor now has only four grabs for 30 yards over the past three weeks, which is especially disappointing since it has coincided with Calvin Ridley’s season-ending absence. Ayomanor still has end-of-bench dynasty league appeal, but he is miles from 12-team league relevance as we begin the fantasy playoffs, which we might not have guessed during his relatively hot start to the season.

Spears’ 10 touches weren’t a bad total for a No. 2 running back, but they came as Tony Pollard rushed 25 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Spears did out-target Pollard 4-0, but that of course did not amount to much. Back to strict No. 2/pass-catching status over the past few weeks after briefly pushing for a more even timeshare, Spears has lost all 12-team league FLEX appeal with bye weeks over and the fantasy playoffs here for Week 15.

Although he wasn’t targeted in the passing game, Pollard’s 161 yards on the ground were a new career high by 30. He had touchdowns of 65 and 32 yards to thank, with the 65-yarder featuring all manner of slipped tackles and mild field reversals. For the 32-yarder, he was barely touched after finding the seam. It is not an exaggeration to say Pollard provided the difference in what went down as only the second Titans victory of the season. Cam Ward completed just 14 throws for 117 yards, while Tyjae Spears was limited to 10 touches for 47 scoreless yards. Where this has been all year is anyone’s guess, but Ward’s scattershot passing means it will be unlikely to return for Week 15 against the 49ers. Pollard did at least go a long way toward shoring up his FLEX standing with bye weeks officially over and the fantasy playoffs finally here.

Ward added just 2/4 on the ground. The Titans’ second victory of the year didn’t come in spite of Ward, but it definitely wasn’t because of him. Tennessee churned up 35/184/2 on the ground in snowy Cleveland conditions. Ward did notch his first multi-score game through the air since ... ever. Shocking. He hit Elic Ayomanor for a nifty 14-yard score in the first quarter before finding Chimere Dike for a five-yarder three frames later. Encouragingly, Ward took a season-low one sack. This, against Myles Garrett’s defensive line. That was probably the biggest sign of progress, though Ward still isn’t hitting nearly enough throws despite his prodigious arm talent. Perhaps that will change in Week 15 against a banged up, leaky 49ers defense.

Tuttle was the only one of the three injured players on the questionable line, and he’s inactive despite practicing in full all week. Moss and Reed are healthy scratches.

Dike has been quite the volatile scorer as of late. In his late six games, he has finished as the half-PPR WR15-18 three times. In his other three showings, he finished as the WR75 or worse. Facing the Browns’ elite defense, he makes for a very risky FLEX option.

Corey Levin started for the Titans in Week 13 and looks to have the role again this week. It’ll be the second week in a row that Cushenberry is sidelined with this foot injury.