Intro/Methodology
Every week, I’m going to break down an entire division, focusing on their play on the field that week. Specifically, I’ll go through each team and focus on their dynasty assets, especially anybody who suffered injuries or a massive value change. I won’t look at any player or team in too much detail. This article is more of a summary piece. I also included links to all my previous divisional nuggets articles at the bottom of the page. With that said, let’s jump right in!
Titans
Summary
The Titans lost to the Steelers 27-24 in a thrilling contest. They managed to escape the contest without any major injuries, although tight end Jonnu Smith didn’t look entirely healthy due to an ankle issue. They have also fully recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak, with all players off the COVID-19 reserve list.
Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill proved his worth once again, although he didn’t have his best game. Tannehill completed 18/30 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns in a slightly down performance. However, Tannehill is now a high-end dynasty QB2, coming in at QB14 in my dynasty QB rankings. Value him accordingly.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry is a real workhorse, as he had 20 carries compared to only one for Jeremy McNichols. Unfortunately, Henry did nothing in the passing game, with only two receptions for -3 yards. I would like to see rookie third-rounder Darrynton Evans get on the field as a pass-catcher, as he will provide more explosiveness than McNichols. Otherwise, Henry’s a solid RB1, but he’ll never see massive receiving work.
Receiving Weapons
I mentioned Smith’s injury earlier. He had four targets, but he only caught one of them for nine yards. However, Smith was dominant in the four healthy games he played to open the season. I have no long-term concerns with Smith, and he’s in my TE1 range in dynasty leagues.
Outside of Smith, only A.J. Brown and Corey Davis have any fantasy relevance in this offense. Brown once again dominated, with six receptions on eight targets for 153 yards and a touchdown. Brown is a locked and loaded dynasty WR1, no questions asked. He’s the future of the Titans’ offense for years to come.
Davis led the Titans with 10 targets, but he only converted them into six receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown. Davis is the Titans’ clear WR2 when healthy, but that only makes him a WR5 in fantasy leagues. The Titans declined Davis’ fifth-year option, and I believe he could find some appeal elsewhere in 2021. He’s a solid hold in dynasty leagues, just in case.
Texans
Summary
The Texans lost to the Packers 35-20. They had a very average performance, although they didn’t suffer any injury setbacks. All of their players remained healthy, but some could end up on another team before the NFL trade deadline. I won’t speculate on specific players just yet, although head coach Romeo Crennel confirmed there are trade rumors.
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson had a solid game. He completed 29/39 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Watson is a dynasty QB1, currently at QB5 in my dynasty rankings. I believe the Texans will undo Bill O’Brien’s poor personnel moves and that Watson will have substantial fantasy value over the life of his Texans’ career. Don’t abandon him, even if the Texans trade away some of his 2020 receiving weapons.
Running Backs
David Johnson had 14 carries for 42 yards, but he added four receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. Johnson is a dying asset, although he’ll give you RB2 value for the rest of 2020. Johnson remains under contract in 2021, but the Texans can save almost $7 million by releasing him. I’m not sure that they will do that, though.
Duke Johnson only had one carry, but he saw five receptions for 43 yards. If the Texans trade away some of their receivers, Johnson could have more targets down the stretch. Either way, he’s not an exciting dynasty asset, and he’ll only truly have value if David Johnson suffers an injury.
Receiving Weapons
Oddly, most of the Texans’ wide receivers had a decent game in Week 7. Brandin Cooks had seven receptions on nine targets for 60 yards. Cooks has had nine or more targets, seven or more receptions, and 60 or more yards in each of the three games since the Texans fired O’Brien. Therefore, Cooks is a solid WR3 for the rest of 2020, assuming he remains in Houston past the trade deadline.
Will Fuller only had six targets, but he converted those into three receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown. To me, it seems like Cooks is now the Texans’ WR1, at least in terms of targets. Even so, Fuller has a vital role as a deep threat in the offense, and he carries more fantasy value than Cooks due to his upside. Treat Fuller as a WR2 in 2020, although it’s hard for me to buy into him because of his injury history.
Oddly, Randall Cobb led the team with eight receptions for 95 yards. I don’t think Cobb is a real fantasy asset, but he could provide value for another team. Cobb seems to pop up for a good game here and there, although you can’t trust him in your lineups. He doesn’t have much dynasty value outside of a WR5 in deep dynasty leagues.
Tight end Darren Fells put up no offensive stats, despite Jordan Akins missing the game with an ankle injury. I think we’ve learned that you can’t trust the Texans’ tight ends in fantasy or dynasty leagues. 2019 third-round pick Kahale Warring could soon return to the field, but he’s only a stash candidate. I’d mostly avoid this mess.
Jaguars
Summary
The Jaguars once again lost in Week 7, this time 39-29 to the Chargers. They lost Dede Westbrook for the season to a torn ACL, although Westbrook wasn’t much of a factor in their offense. There were also some rumors that the Jaguars might bench Gardner Minshew for Mike Glennon, although Minshew played the entire game without incident.
Quarterback
As I said above, Minshew is in danger of losing his starting job, both in 2020 and long-term. He did nothing in Week 7 to help himself, completing 14/27 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. At this point, I believe Minshew gives the Jaguars a better chance to win than Glennon, but the Jaguars are 1-6.
They may want to tank for Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields, encouraging them to switch to Glennon. Either way, Minshew will not be the Jaguars’ starter in 2021. Sell him right now in all superflex dynasty formats if you can get any decent return.
Running Backs
Only James Robinson had any carries in Week 7, taking his 22 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Robinson also added four receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown. Now, Robinson is a clear workhorse, seeing one of the highest usage shares of any running back in the NFL. Robinson might have done enough to retain this job in 2021 even though he’s an undrafted free agent, as he’s just been that good.
Outside of Robinson, the rest of the backfield is irrelevant. I feel terrible for Ryquell Armstead, who might have won the starting job if not for his battle with COVID-19. I don’t want to go into too much detail here, but suffice it to say that I’m rooting for him to make it past this illness and back onto an NFL field.
Chris Thompson is also on the COVID-19 list, although he should recover shortly. Thompson did nothing in 2020 despite lofty expectations. You safely drop him from your dynasty rosters.
The Jaguars recently activated Devine Ozigbo from injured reserve, and I eventually expect him to carve out a small role behind Robinson. But, Ozigbo was healthy in Week 7, and he saw no touches. Robinson is a dominant workhorse, and nobody else matters.
Receiving Weapons
This receiving group is a total mess. DJ Chark caught one of seven targets for 26 yards. Chark hasn’t been anywhere near the fantasy asset dynasty owners hoped for this season. It’s time to adjust Chark’s expectations, as I think last season may have been a fluke. There’s no way a competent NFL offense can run with Chark as their dedicated alpha receiver. He’s simply not talented enough to fill that role.
I love Laviska Shenault’s varied skill set, but he can’t overcome this putrid offense. Shenault had a rushing attempt for no yards, and he caught all three of his targets for 44 yards. I would slightly prefer to own Chark in dynasty leagues, but there should be almost no gap between the two players. Shenault provides more excitement, although he isn’t a real WR1 either. This team badly needs to acquire another receiving weapon.
I’m not interested in discussing Keelan Cole, Chris Conley, James O’Shaughnessy, or Tyler Eifert. We know that none of those players have an actual upside. You can roster them on the back-end of a deep dynasty roster, but they carry no dynasty value. However, fifth-round rookie Collin Johnson might be worth a stash. He’s an end-zone target that would complement Chark and Shenault perfectly in 3WR sets.
Colts
Summary
This is the first time that I’m writing a divisional nuggets piece on a team on a bye. Therefore, the Colts don’t have a Week 7 game to discuss. However, the Colts may get some relevant offensive pieces back in Week 8. Both Michael Pittman and Mo Alie-Cox could return for this week. Considering the Colts’ lack of pass-catchers, either player would be a welcome addition to the receiving group.
Quarterback
Philip Rivers is the Colts’ starting quarterback, but he’s on a one-year deal. On the one hand, he’s led the Colts to a 4-2 record, but on the other hand, he hasn’t played particularly well. The Colts will not bench Rivers for either Jacoby Brissett or rookie Jacob Eason unless they become eliminated from the playoff race. I believe Rivers gives the Colts the best chance to win right now, and with the expanded playoffs, the Colts should be in contention until the end.
However, I’m torn about what the Colts plan to do in 2021. Both Rivers and Brissett are free agents, although I doubt the Colts retain Brissett. The Colts will likely win too many games to draft any significant quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, leaving them to either re-sign Rivers or another free agent. If you’re holding onto Rivers in superflex leagues, you should hope for the Colts to win as many games as possible. Otherwise, Rivers will likely retire after 2020. Either way, he’s a prime sell for any non-contending dynasty teams.
Running Backs
I’m not particularly sure what’s going on with the Colts’ running backs. After losing Marlon Mack to an Achilles tear in Week 1, I expected Jonathan Taylor to become a workhorse back. However, he just hasn’t seen a workhorse role, with snap counts ranging from 41-59% in Weeks 3-6. I still rate Taylor as a dynasty RB1, but I’d like to see some improved play coming out of this bye week.
Outside of Taylor, the Colts also have Nyheim Hines as their receiving back. Hines has seen a slightly increased role compared to 2019, although nowhere near his 2018 target numbers. He’s an excellent pass-catcher, but he’s solely a complement to Taylor. However, you could do worse than having Hines on your dynasty team. Keep him as an RB4 stash, as he produces more on the field than he’ll give you in trade value. That value difference is commonplace for third-down backs like Hines.
Receiving Weapons
The Colts need some wide receiver help. T.Y. Hilton leads the team in targets, but he’s been entirely ineffective. Hilton is no longer a WR1 in any sense of the word, and he carries little to no dynasty value. I’d take any second-round rookie pick in exchange for Hilton at this point, but you probably can’t even get that for him.
Parris Campbell looked great in Week 1, but he suffered a significant injury in Week 2. I don’t expect Campbell to return in 2020, although he’s an excellent dynasty stash for 2021. Campbell should play the long-term slot role in Indianapolis, and I wouldn’t quit on him because of an unfortunate injury.
Similarly, Pittman is also out with an injury, although he should return shortly. I believe Pittman will quickly overtake Hilton for the #1 WR role, becoming a top outside threat for Rivers. Rivers found success throwing to players like Mike Williams in the past, and Pittman offers similar abilities.
The Colts also have some intriguing fliers in Zach Pascal and Marcus Johnson. I doubt either player does much once other players are healthy, though. Pascal led the Colts in receiving yards in 2019, but that was by necessity, not by design. Johnson is only a deep stash, although he’s worth watching, just in case.
Unfortunately, the Colts have three relevant tight ends in Jack Doyle, Trey Burton, and Alie-Cox. They love to throw to the position, but having three players creates a nasty tight end committee. Over the previous few weeks, it seems like Burton has emerged as the top target after returning from the injured reserve. I believe that Doyle is definitely on the way out, but I’m curious how Alie-Cox factors in once healthy. You can stash all three players in dynasty leagues, with Burton the most valuable.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
Previous Divisional Nuggets Articles: NFC East (Week 2), AFC North (Week 3), AFC South (Week 4), NFC West (Week 5), NFC East (Week 6), AFC North (Week 7)
