Chris Limburg

2009 Tennessee Titans Fantasy Football Preview



Posted: Sunday, May 24, 2009

by Chris Limburg
http://gothicfootball.com

The Tennessee Titans came of age in 2008 posting a 13-3 record and claiming the AFC South title knocking the Indianapolis Colts off of their perch.  However, the season failed to end the way the Titans hoped as they were defeated  13-10 by the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Playoffs.  The end of my fantasy season was far more favorable than the Titans as I claimed my 2nd Super Bowl title in 10 years.  One of the big reasons I was celebrating around Christmas time when other owners were crying in their beer is Titans RB Chris Johnson.  It all started in August when I saw Johnson break a long TD run during a pre-season game and I was amazed at his speed andI kept that vision in my head when my draft day came rolling around.  I managed to steal Johnson in the 14th round of my draft and rode that train along with fellow rookie sensation Matt Forte to a championship and about $1100.00.  Will Johnson be able to duplicate his success for 2009?  Who are some of the other Titans to keep an eye on for the upcoming season?  Let's take a look at the Titans fantasy potential heading into 2009.

Needless to say that Johnson was an integral part of my team last year on a weekly basis.  Johnson splashed onto the NFL scene with 1228 yards and 9 TD's and also chipped in with 43 receptions for 260 yds and 1 TD.  Amazingly, there could have been so much more but Johnson continously lost goal line reps and subsequently TD's to Lendale "Cheeseburger" White.  Week in and week out I would just sit him andwonder what kindof numbers Johnson would have if White were not around.  Cheeseburger himself accounted for 773 yards on the ground but scored an astonishing 15 TD's.  As much as fantasy owners hated Head Coach Jeff Fisher for this the bottom line is that the Johnson/White platoon scenario (eloquently nicknamed "smash and dash") proved to be extremely successful for Tennessee and because of that success don't expect much to change this year.  Can Johnson repeat his extraordinary rookie campaign?  In the mock drafts that I have been doing recently Johnson has been going anywhere from 8th to 16th overall and as I have mentioned in other posts I am not really sold on any of the top rated backs.  They all have major questions including Johnson.  First, Johnson will not sneak up on the NFL this year as he did in 2008.  Furthermore, White will surely continue to steal the majority of goal line touches meaning Johnson will likely have to break a long run to score.  If in my draft it comes down to taking him or say Larry Fitzgerald I will be taking Fitz just because it is a safer pick.  Regardless, Johnson is a great pick but if you select him know that you will be losing a lot of TD's to White so be prepared for that.  As for the Cheeseburger himself, I actually like him more than Johnson this year simply due to the aforementioned reasons.  Bottom line is that you are looking for TD's in fantasy football and White scored 15 of them last year and most likely will post at least 10 more this year.  Moreover, White can be had at a far greater value than Johnson as he has been going in the neighborhood of the 5th-6th round in the drafts I have participated in thus far.  In summary, both these guys will produce.  Tennessee is a run first team and I have not heard anything coming out of Nashville indicating a change is forthcoming even with the acquisition of WR Kenny Britt from Rutgers.  Treat Johnson is a number 1 back and White is a low end number 2 or high end number 3 RB. 

Historically, when discussing the Titans receiving corps fantasy owners utilized that time to do various family chores such as taking out the trash or reading stories to their children rather than participate in the discussion.  Basically what I am trying to say is that Tennessee's WR'shave been non-existent in terms of fantasy production for some time.  The Titans are desperately hoping that Britt starts to change all of that.  Fisher usually refrains from taking receivers in the first round but even he realized how desperate the situation had become at the position.  Britt is an immense talent and is a nice choice in keeper and dynasty leagues however, he will more than likely go undrafted in most traditional formats.  Keep an eye on him but keep expectations to a minimum.  In terms of the other Titan receivers it is quite simple: Justin Gage may be worth a late round flier but no other Titan receiver including TE Bo Scaife is worth spending any type of draft selection on come August. 

The Titans DST was a solid unit in 2008 but suffered a huge off season loss with the departure of DT Albert Haynesworth who signed with the Washington Redskins as a free agent.  Keith Bullock still anchors down the defense but anyone who thinks the Titans will not miss Haynesworth is dreaming.  Consider the Titans DST a number 1 option but keep expectations realistic without the big man in the middle.  That concludes my examination of the AFC South. Next up: The AFC North and I will be starting with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburg Steelers.
 
 
 
Chris Limburg is the fanatical purveyor of Gothicfootball.com: A Oakland Raider/fantasy football blog that provides commentary on everything that is the NFL and fantasy football.  Sign up for my free newsletter at: http://www.gothicfootball.com

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