Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down: Tennessee Titans

Welcome back to the “Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down” series (offseason edition). Us dynasty managers must constantly research ways to bolster our rosters. Do you need advice on who to trade for? Maybe you’re looking for players to trade away. Do you have enough young talent to ensure your roster is set for years to come? Maybe you’re going all in and need a couple of pieces to sharpen your team. During this series, we dive deep into one player whose dynasty stock is increasing and one player whose dynasty stock is decreasing. As always, we will break down each NFL team one by one. Today is all about the Tennessee Titans. 

STOCK UP – AUSTIN HOOPER

Remember back in 2018 when Hooper finished as the TE6 in PPR leagues as a member of the Atlanta Falcons? What about when he repeated that feat in 2019 and averaged the third-most PPR points per game (14.4) behind only George Kittle (15.9) and Travis Kelce (15.9)? You can’t blame him for taking the money Cleveland offered him (a four-year $42M contract with $23M guaranteed) to leave Atlanta during the 2020 offseason. At the time, he signed the most lucrative contract a tight end had ever signed in NFL history. Now, two years later, many fantasy managers have written him off, especially in dynasty leagues. That shouldn’t be the case, and as a member of the Tennessee Titans this season, he’ll change the minds of those fantasy managers out there who doubt his future outlook. 

It may seem like Hooper has been in the league for a long time now, but he’s only 27 years old. Sure, he signed with Tennessee on a one-year contract, but if he puts together a solid 2022 campaign, there’s no reason he won’t be offered an extension. And I don’t know if you’ve taken a look at the Titans’ pass-catchers going into this season, but they aren’t studs by any means. Outside of an old, banged-up Robert Woods, there isn’t a ton of experience on this roster. Treylon Burks (rookie) and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (41 career receptions) are slated to start next to Woods at wide receiver. Hooper is easily the TE1 for this team, and behind him on the depth chart? Geoff Swaim, Chigoziem Okonkwo, and Tommy Hudson. Who? Who? And who? Hooper hauled in more touchdown receptions in 2019 than those three have combined in their NFL playing careers so far. 

Speaking of touchdowns, Hooper has a chance at leading this team in that particular receiving category. Both MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser are now no longer members of the Titans, and they hauled in a combined five touchdown receptions last season. Ryan Tannehill is a veteran quarterback who’s going to rely on other veterans on this team. Especially now that both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are no longer on the team. Hooper is a low investment option that could return the value and then some for your team. Don’t be surprised if he re-emerges this season as a low-end TE1 in all fantasy formats. 

Other Notables: Robert Woods, Dontrell Hilliard

STOCK DOWN – DERRICK HENRY

The time to trade Derrick Henry away for a “haul” was last season. Luckily, he was so dominant during his time on the field last year that he still owns a ton of value in dynasty leagues. But I’m telling you that if you aren’t a team going all in for a championship this season, ship him away. He’s entering his seventh season in the league now with 1,401 carries to his belt. The only active running backs who have received more rushing attempts are Melvin Gordon (1,477), Ezekiel Elliott (1,650), and Mark Ingram (1,755). Because Henry is coming off the first injury-riddled season of his career, the Titans may be a little more precautionary with their approach to using him. At the same time, we’ve mentioned this over and over, but running backs have short shelf lives, and Henry’s combination of injuries, overload, and age should spell trouble for those who have Henry shares. 

Trading away someone of Henry’s caliber could be a hard pill to swallow. Heck, if he didn’t suffer that injury last season, he would’ve more than likely produced his third straight season of 1,500 rushing yards or more. In fact, his 17-game pace calculates out to 1,991 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns, and about 410 PPR fantasy points. How many points did the RB1 of 2021, Jonathan Taylor, score? 373! Through Weeks 1-8, Henry was easily the RB1, as Taylor found himself about 40 PPR points behind. There’s no question that Henry is the most dominant pure rusher in the league today. But you can’t rely on his dominance mixed with age and health over the next few years. Like I mentioned above, if you aren’t going all in this season, trade him away for a pretty penny. 

Other Notables: Ryan Tannehill, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Teams Broken Down Already: Teams Broken Down Already: Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Giants, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, Ravens, Saints, Seahawks, Steelers, Texans

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